It is memories like these, of past Christmases, past family gatherings, that circle through Alana’s mind that night as she approaches bed. Her mind is buzzing, like it always used to do on Christmas Eve. Only, this time she knows that it is not excitement over presents and the magic of Christmas morning that keepsContinue reading “The Gift (Day Twenty-Three: Christmas Eve)”
Category Archives: Advent
The Gift (Day Twenty-Two)
Arriving in Albury just after noon, Alana says, “Let’s have lunch first.” Something makes her want to delay going to her parents’ house just yet. The afternoon stretches out before them, and they are not expected until later in the day. There is always the chance, of course, that they run into her parents inContinue reading “The Gift (Day Twenty-Two)”
The Lord Our Saviour (Fourth Sunday of Advent)
We all like sheep have gone astray, We wayward ones, darkened and small. Our shepherd comes, as bright as day… His brightness gives our dirt away – Will he judge us as we fall? We all like sheep have gone astray… No, he comes – the prophets say – To feed, to heal the woundsContinue reading “The Lord Our Saviour (Fourth Sunday of Advent)”
The Gift (Day Twenty-One)
In the morning, they hurriedly finish packing for the trip and then set off, the sun already beating down its heat. As they drive, Alana is quiet, but seems alert. Peter, however, has not slept well, his mind recycling snatches of prayers and Bible verses and moments of obscure liturgy in an unsettling way. TheContinue reading “The Gift (Day Twenty-One)”
The Gift (Day Twenty)
The Story of Hannah’s Song Elkanah had two wives. The first wife, Peninnah, had given him several children, but the second of his wives, Hannah, was barren. Elkanah, however, loved Hannah more than he loved Peninnah. Knowing that this was so, Peninnah would often taunt Hannah, gloating about her children, relishing the power this gaveContinue reading “The Gift (Day Twenty)”
The Gift: Fourth Candle (Day Nineteen)
The days of the week pass quietly, uneventfully. The disappointment of Tuesday gone, they seem somehow calmer, less angry but also less active, as though they are only limping through the day, unable to fight, unable to run. When the dates circled on the calendar arrive, although no longer carrying the meaning they had doneContinue reading “The Gift: Fourth Candle (Day Nineteen)”
The Gift (Day Eighteen)
“I came home early today,” says Alana, when Peter gets home. “I felt…sick.” “What kind of sick?” Peter asks. “Like I was going to vomit,” she says. “I had cramps in my stomach all morning. But then I didn’t vomit. It just passed.” “So nothing serious?” “Maybe not,” she replies. Then a pause. “But I’mContinue reading “The Gift (Day Eighteen)”
The Gift (Day Seventeen)
In the morning they fight again. Peter is running late for work and is shorter with her than usual, and her tolerance, worn down by the tension of yesterday, is even thinner now. He leaves with the fight unresolved, and when she gets to work she feels sick from the conflict. It is only byContinue reading “The Gift (Day Seventeen)”
The Gift (Day Sixteen)
“Can I tell you a story?” asks Alana, when they are in bed. He is lying down and Alana, seated upright, is looking down at him as she often does on the occasions that he is sick and she is caring for him. But tonight Alana’s expression is different; it looks more silent, more pensive,Continue reading “The Gift (Day Sixteen)”
The Gift (Day Fifteen)
The service closes with an offer of prayer for anyone who has been “challenged by anything in tonight’s service”. There will be people available at the side of the church, they say, for anyone interested. Alana looks at Peter, asking with her eyes if they should go forward. Peter hesitates, but Alana nods reassuringly andContinue reading “The Gift (Day Fifteen)”
The Consolations of Writing 