Holiday Thoughts
Sitting up straight in the wooden pew
I hold my head high gazing at marble statues
with sunlight cast through stain glass windows
while repeating the priest’s responses on cue.
I sing the sacred hymns with all my heart
because I was once told that
“singing is like praying twice.”
In church strangers whisper to me
I have “a voice like an angel”
I am embarrassed but I cannot stop
knowing all the verses so well.
People are wearing their “Sunday best”
bowing their heads praying for
the poor, the homeless, the shut-ins
and remembering family and lost loved ones.
Nearby an old woman is clutching her rosary
as I watch a little boy fidget sitting next to his parents.
I glance up at the ceiling during the homily
as my thoughts drift in and out about the past.
Every year I light a white candle
near the altar and kneel to pray.
I partake in this tradition
every December holiday.
I become flooded with memories
of family as I never know
what the future will bring.
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