The older we get, the more we look behind us. Memories cloud our paths, most bringing smiles, some bringing tears. This time of year, that cloud of memories glows with an inner light bright and dense. It engulfs us in its nostalgic embrace.

Our lives have run from holiday season to holiday season. Our memories of Christmases past haunt us every bit as intensely as they haunted old Ebenezer. Fortunately, most of our ghosts are loving and pleasant, even though they may represent losses along the way.

Those of us who have loved, and been loved by, animal companions hold those special friends close in our memories. We celebrate alongside them, buying them gifts, sharing (healthy and safe) treats, while they are with us. When they are gone from our physical world, their images grow more brilliant during the holidays. We remember their wagging tails, the purrs as they snuggle in cozy beds, the laughter as we watched them play with their new toys. Those memories come with their share of tears, for sure, but weren’t they worth it? So, so worth it. Each tear was generated by love, by smiles, by the warmth of soft fur and the comfort of a friend who always listened, always understood, was always there.

My own belief is that they are, indeed, still there. I find myself talking to my friends, my family (two-legged and four), on the other side frequently. Do they hear me? My heart trusts that they do, and it brings me comfort in times when very little else can do so.

Soon the tree will go up. Every glittering light, every shining ornament, will reflect the love of those Christmases past. The holiday spark that lit our childhood worlds with wonder is still there, though now it travels backwards, taking us from year to year until, once again, we feel that childlike magic in our hearts.

And with that magic enters each and every loved one who has shared those years with us. They surround us with their presence, touch us with their comfort, and kiss us with a promise that someday they will share their world with us again.

May your holiday memories bring you joy, and may this season be as magical and wonderful as those long past.

Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends, and Happy Holidays to all.