I am like an old wooden ship returning from a lengthy voyage.
The bones creak wistfully as I near a shoreline festooned in red, green and white lights.
A brisk wind carries the sound of holiday music. It offers ballast to an uneven heart.
As I move closer to shore the multicolored lights seem to wreath my arrival.
I see the outline of a sleigh carrying a jolly old St. Nick upward toward the heavens. Moisture clouds my vision.
Have i been away so long I forgot it’s Christmastime? To all I’ve met on the journey, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad. Joyeux Noel. Frohe Weihnachten.
My mind’s eye focuses on friends and family gathered around a universal hearth, suspending their differences in the name of hope, healing and a more sanguine future.
It’s time to eat, drink and be merry.
My time at sea has taught me much about coming home.
Ah, life.
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