The Last Week - Part 4 of 5

Christmas Eve in the Bauer family had evolved into a very special and holy holiday. My father had developed an elaborate and touching Christmas Eve celebration. It included readings from the Bible, the blessing of the Christmas tree, lighting candles at the foot of the Nativity Scene as each person prayed and was prayed over. It included Christmas Carols and ended with everyone standing in a circle and, one by one, going around and wishing each other a Merry Christmas with a great, big hug

It was a special night. A holy night. A memorable night.

I loved kneeling at the Nativity Scene, lighting the candle and feeling the hands of my parents on my shoulders and head as they prayed over me. Like sneaking into their bed and laying between them as a child, I again felt completely loved and completely safe.

My Dad and Mom praying at

the Nativity Scene, circa 1987

Now, here in North Carolina, Christmas was only days away. On the next visit to see my father I read the daily missal from the day's Mass and my wife and daughter sang Christmas Carols, their beautiful voices echoing down the halls of the nursing home.

The other patients in the nursing home enjoyed the singing and we received a lot of thanks. And my father seemed at peace, listening to their singing and to the Bible verses. Again, I thanked my father for showing me how to be a husband and father. For teaching me how to interact with kids on their level. And most of all for giving me the gift of his faith, which has been enlightened in me and guides me on my path. We again prayed and asked for Jesus' peace, the Holy Spirit's strength and the will of God to be done.

The next day was Christmas Eve. We went early that morning to visit my father because the day was quickly filling up with events surrounding the holiday. My children each brought with them verses from the Bible they had found. My daughter read from Psalms (Psalm 71 - Humble Prayer in Time of Old Age) about giving strength to the aged and my son read from Romans (1:1-5) about how facing our obstacles gives us hope in the Holy Spirit. We again read the readings from the Christmas Eve Mass, which we were to attend later that day. We again all sang Christmas Carols.

As we sung, I leaned down to my father's ear and told him to imagine himself celebrating Christmas Eve with us in the traditions he had started. I told him to imagine himself blessing the tree, praying at the Nativity, greeting each family member with a hug as he smiled and told them "Merry Christmas." I wanted him, if only for a brief moment, to escape his feeble body and place himself among his family that loved him on one of his favorite holy days.

It was a wonderful time with him that day. We all hugged him and kissed him and told him we would see him again first thing Christmas morning.

Later that night we all attended Christmas Mass and then went over to my sister's house to engage in the Bauer Christmas Eve tradition started by my father decades earlier. We blessed the tree. We prayed at the nativity. With my father not there, I joined my mother in placing our hands over those kneeling, praying for them as my father would had he been there. We all then hugged each other and wished each other a Merry Christmas.

After some more food and dessert we headed back to the cabin where we originally decided to open one present. One present soon turned into all of them and we soon found ourselves sitting and laughing among the smoldering remains of ripped Christmas wrapping.

We all went bed, full and happy.

And then, at 11:51 p.m., the phone rang.