My Letter to Saint Nicholas - 2023
My Dearest St. Nicholas, Her gift to me was one that came clutched in her tiny hand but, directly from her heart. She is eight years old and the artificial flower was white. Some stains from age were there, trying to hide beneath the dust. Dust that had long settled in on the fabric that formed the tired petals into a rose. A perfect rose, I’m sure she thought. I held back tears as I hugged her and wondered if she’d truly ever know how much her heart touched mine that day (and how hard it was for me not to cry). I thanked her, though it was tough to talk around the lump that had formed in my throat. My children are grown now. They’re not eight years old, or even twice that anymore, and I often find myself wandering back in time to visit the eight year olds they once were. Those days seem as far away as the stars that pierce the midnight sky. I miss so much from when they were younger but, I am grateful and blessed they have had the chance to grow up. They are figuring out the life