Snark & Sensibility

PLEASE WELCOME

JULIE COSGROVE

HAVING THE PRIME OF MY LIFE

I never knew I’d have to adjust to solitude in my senior years.

I recall times when I would have traded my grandmother’s secret cranberry sauce recipe for two hours of alone time. Between my child, the hubby, the laundry, and putting a hot, nutritious meal on the table within a half hour of dragging home after a 90-minute commute—day in and day out for decades—”me time” was as rare as black diamonds.

Now, widowed without grandchildren and a still-single son who is off doing his own thing, I find that adage of “watch what you wish for” is very true. I have more than enough solitude in my life. Especially on Christmas morning.

I am not the only one. Millions of us seniors wake up alone. Many more do not or cannot travel to bunk out on the couches of loved ones. The thought of that makes me winch and grab my lower back.

Thousands right in my city do not have family around them. They are in a nursing facility, a hospital, in rehab, prison, or hospice. They are sleeping under bridges, in crowded shelters, or gated mansions with six empty bedrooms. They are old, young, male, female, black, white, educated, and unable to speak English.

When it comes right down to it, any of us can end up alone. But here is the joyous news.

Because, on this night about two thousand-eighteen years ago, a baby was born in a stable in a small town near Jerusalem, none of us have to be alone.  It’s why we celebrate this season.

Perhaps the idea of God wanting to be with you seems a bit weird. Maybe you don’t think of Him as a personal, caring Father.  But I have learned I can curl up on my couch, hug a hot mug of coffee, and feel anything but alone. I can talk to Him anytime I want, and yes in a way, He responds back. Loud and clear throughout my day.

You may say it is all in my head. I agree. But for me, He is in my heart and my soul as well. He is always with me because that is why He came to earth in the first place. It is why His name is Jesus, which means “God saves.” It is why He is called Emanuel, “God with us.”

I have come to cherish my quiet morning times. Especially at Christmas. While other households are nosily tearing into presents, I feel His presence. While they hope they got the gift they wanted, I have the gift I need.

Later on in the day, I may head out with a pie perched on the car seat and share a meal with relatives. Or my son will wander over in the early afternoon after he wakes up (he works nights.) But for several hours on Christmas morning, I have come to cherish the “me time” in peace and quiet. No rush, no hurry.

I hope this Christmas you take a few minutes to find solitude. It is a precious gift, wrapped in grace and tied up with the bow of mercy. It’s something we all need, no matter our age.

I am glad I am finally old enough to enjoy it.

ABOUT JULIE COSGROVE 

Besides being an award-winning author of over a dozen novels, Julie is also a digital missionary with The Life Project, a division of CRU Canada. That means her job is to edit and write articles as well as manage twenty-six other writers for several faith-based websites. For more information on her blog, Where Did You Find God Today? with readership in over fifty countries, her ministry, or her books, log onto www.juliebcosgrove.com.