the remains of….

In Christmas Eve 2025 as I lay down to sleep and closed my eyes, a kaleidoscope of memories, photos, and thoughts started whirling through my mind…uninvited but continuing. I saw myself as a little girl, remembered specific dresses, like the white one that I spoiled by letting an orange popsicle drip on it, to my mother’s chagrin, times that I spent with my bestie, Joan and the times that the two of us endured the teasing and antics that my uncle Don played on us. Christmas Day 2014 loomed up, and I saw my mother as she closed her blue eyes for the final time on this earth and opened them in heaven.

One memory of my dad stands out, the sound of his voice crying out to God, in English, Armenian and in the heavenly language of the Holy Spirit. Whenever I heard him praying, I always knew that everything was going to be alright. I walked into his room not long before his death, I was in terrible pain from having had a procedure on a tooth, my jaw was swollen to the point that I compared myself to Marlon Brando in the Godfather, his cheeks stuffed with cotton balls. Daddy looked up at me and said, “Dear, what’s wrong?” I told him that I was in so much pain and I fell down on my knees in front of him. He took my face in his two big, tender and caring hands and prayed for God to let the pain go out of my jaw and through his hands and be gone. As he prayed, I felt the pain draining away and it was gone! I expected to see my normal face as I peered into the mirror, but alas, I still saw old Marlon looking back at me, but no more pain.

With New Year’s Day coming I remembered how my mother would be so excited for their wedding anniversary. They had married at midnight on New Year’s Eve and took their vows as the bells were ringing and fireworks were filling the skies. They celebrated 73 anniversaries before daddy’s glorious day in May of 2013. I altered her wedding dress on their 50th anniversary and she wore it in a celebration ceremony, mind you I did not tell her I had added little gussets to the side, so she was happy to be able to wear it after all those years!

This New Year’s Day, 2026, my Uncle Don passed away. The Don I remember was aggravating to Joan and me as little girls, a big brother as we got older, especially to Joan, and a man who was full of like and laughter and entertained us several times by jumping up and doing a grand ballet dance all over the room. He had a beautiful voice, and I sang with he and Norma as the Harvester Trio before he married Clariece and her beautiful soprano replaced my alto voice as she played the piano so beautifully. I will miss the way he was, but those are happy memories.

We don’t know what 2026 will bring, but I can say, It Is Well with My Soul, and Because He Lives, I can face tomorrow, whatever it may bring.

God bless your 2026, Jesus is coming