Holding On

Prisoner One is counting the days and trying to make plans for his release. Prisoner Two is biding his time, trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation, unwilling to give up the fight for his freedom. Prisoner Three has given up on ever being released. Prisoner Four has been in solitary confinement for months now – enough to make anyone want to give up! Prisoner Five is dying of terminal cancer. If I don’t miss my best guess, there are actually many Prisoner Ones, Twos, Threes, Fours and Fives, and I can’t begin to put myself in their shoes.

What keeps these men and women going? If they are lucky, they have a belief system. I think that hope must play a large role. Hope for a better tomorrow.

Doesn’t that make us a lot alike? Don’t all of us want something better for ourselves and for others? In spite of such a materialistic world, Christmas at least makes us stop and think of others.

Today, as I think of friends and loved ones who are sad, lonely, struggling to go on, facing death, or knowing someone who is dying, I think also about Prisoners One, Two, Three, Four, and Five. My Christmas wish for everyone is that they all know an abundance of hope…hope for a better tomorrow…hope for new and fulfilling relationships…hope for a fresh start…a new day…another year… another life. Blessings and hope and peace to one and all!