Lora and her daughter Kira had always loved the holidays. But this year, the sadness and joy were lessened by the fact that John, Lora’s husband, had died. She was having a hard time accepting her loss, and the thought of Christmas without John was almost too much for her to handle.
As Christmas Eve came around, Lora’s feelings were all over the place. It was hard for her to balance her need to make Kira feel happy and festive with her own sadness and loss. But as she saw Kira get more and more excited, she knew she had to find a way to make this Christmas extra special for her.
A happy figure in a red suit walked through the door just as Lora was about to tell Kira that Santa wouldn’t be coming this year. My brother Rick was there dressed as Santa Claus. Kira jumped into Santa’s arms with big, happy eyes.
Lora felt calm as the night came to a close. She knew her loss would always hurt her, but she also knew she was strong enough to handle any problems that came her way. And as she fell asleep, filled with the love and magic of the season, she knew she would always remember this Christmas and the memories it had brought her.