Santa shared a special message with Jodi about navigating grief and joy during Christmas…
Santa: Now, Jodi, I know this is a difficult Christmas for you because you lost your Paw Paw who was very important to you.
Jodi: It’s true…
Santa: And you know, one of the things about the fact that the holiday season comes every year is that it marks the passage of time that life on this earth is not eternal; it doesn’t last forever. And it’s a beautiful thing to remember someone that you marked a lot of time with and that you had a lot of holiday seasons with. And that is true of your grandfather.
Jodi: Thank you for saying that. It’s mostly… honestly, he brought a lot of joy to our family and he held our family together. As you know, he was a pastor, always a preacher, and I think that Christmas Eve will be tough because his absence will fill the room.
Santa: Yes, it will.
Jodi: But we will all just be there together the way he would want. And I think it’s gonna be great too.
Santa: But the fact that we don’t have Christmas every single day out of 365 days is part of why you need to feel that absence; mourn it. And celebrate it; what you’ve had with him and try to recreate, in your own way, that kind of life.
Jodi: Thank you, Santa. We love you.
Santa: I love you too.
