After the passing of her mother and then her husband, Jessy was very depressed. Even though her sister Rebecca and her niece Ariel tried to be there for her, she couldn’t get past the pain. Jessy kept the house curtains closed all the time and didn’t want any visitors. And any friends that called her only reached her voicemail. Rebecca even suggested therapy to help her get through the grief but Jessy didn’t want to hear it.
When Thanksgiving came around, Rebecca invited her sister over to her house but she sadly refused. Jessy told her sister that being around family just hurt too much. Not knowing what to do, Rebecca talked to her therapist. He suggested giving her some space but to check up on her periodically. So that’s what Rebecca did. When December came around, Jessy’s neighbor’s started to decorate their houses. One of her neighbors, Jacob, noticed that she hadn’t done any decorating yet and Jessy was usually the first to get started.
One afternoon, Jacob walked up to Jessy’s front door holding a poinsettia. He knew that her mother and husband passed away earlier that year and wanted to bring her some joy. When he rang the doorbell Jessy didn’t answer it. He rang the bell again and waited, but still no answer. Jacob put the poinsettia down on her porch by the door and went home. The next day, Jacob walked over to Jessy’s with another poinsettia and rang the doorbell. She still didn’t answer so he put the poinsettia down next to the other one and left.
Jacob brought Jessy a poinsettia every day and rang the doorbell. He knew that Jessy was home because he would see her slightly move the curtain after he would put the plant down. It wasn’t until after the seventh day that Jessy answered the door when Jacob rang the bell.
Jessy slowly opened the door and saw Jacob standing among the seven poinsettias while holding another one, “why do you keep bringing me these?”
“To bring you good cheer and joy. I know how hard it can be to miss the ones you love during this time of year. Don’t you remember, I lost Karen last year?” Jacob said.
Jessy stared into Jacob’s eyes for a moment before she broke down crying. Leaving the door open, she turned around and grabbed a tissue off the end table. Jacob put the poinsettia down with the others and stepped inside. As he closed the door, Jessy turned back around.
“How did you do it? How did you move on so quickly?” Jessy asked.
Jacob looked at Jessy, “it’s not about moving on, it’s learning how to cope with the loss.”
Jessy wiped the tears from her eyes, “well, how did you do that?”
“I’m still doing it. One thing to remember is that your mother or husband wouldn’t want you to miss out on life just because they aren’t here anymore. Right?”
“No, I guess not,” Jessy sat down on the sofa.
Jacob walked over to the sofa and sat down next to her, “Karen loved Christmas time. And I don’t know if you noticed last year, but even though I was still grieving from her passing earlier in the year, I still decorated. I wasn’t feeling cheery or even wanted to celebrate, but I did it for Karen. Karen would want me to still enjoy the season even though she isn’t here physically with me,” Jacob looked at Jessy.
Jessy sat there and thought for a moment. She knew that Christmas was important to her mother. And her husband had fun celebrating right along with her, singing Christmas carols at the piano.
“I know that they loved Christmas, but it’s so hard to think of them that way when they aren’t here anymore,” Jessy cried again.
“I know it is… But wouldn’t you want to try for them?” Jacob handed Jessy another tissue.
Jessy cried for another minute and then wiped her eyes, “Okay, enough of this. Mom and David would want me to enjoy life and celebrate, not sit here feeling sorry for myself.”
Jacob smiled and stood up, “so, what are you going to do first?”
“Well, how about some coffee? And then I’ll take a much-needed shower. And then dig out the Christmas decorations,” Jessy said.
“Sounds like a plan. If you don’t mind, while you take a shower, I can go pick up a real Christmas tree for you?” Jacob asked.
Jessy smiled, “I would like that, thank you.”
Jessy started to brew a pot of coffee and then called her sister Rebecca on her phone. Jessy left a message on her voicemail asking Rebecca if she, Ariel, and her husband Bob could come over this evening and let her know. When the coffee was done brewing she brought out the tray with the coffee and cups on it.
“What do I owe you for all those beautiful poinsettias?” Jessy put the tray down.
“Nothing, I wanted to bring you those to hopefully cheer you up,” Jacob said.
“Well, believe it or not, I think they did a little. Each day that you rang the doorbell, I was like, not another one. But when I peeked out and saw you put it down, every day they looked prettier,” Jessy handed Jacob a cup of coffee.
“That’s good. I was hoping that it would work. See, Karen loved poinsettias and as you know she was from Mexico where poinsettias originate from. She also believed the legend of the little girl and baby Jesus in the manger .”
“A legend? Tell me, what legend?” Jessy sipped her coffee.
“Well, some of the townspeople would take gifts to the baby Jesus in the nativity scene. When a little girl named Pepita heard about this, she also wanted to bring a gift but didn’t have any money to buy it. On her way to the nativity scene to see Jesus, she picked what she thought were green weeds that grew alongside the road. When she got there and set the bouquet of weeds down by the baby, a miracle happened. The green leaves turned a bright red. The townspeople were surprised by the miracle and from then on the poinsettia was called the “Flowers of the Holy Night” or “Flores de la Noche Buena” in Spanish.”
“Wow, what a beautiful story. The strong love within that little girl was felt by God and he showed his appreciation by changing the color of the leaves. Thank you for sharing that with me,” Jessy smiled.
“Sure, miracles happen every day in different ways. We just need to believe and keep our eyes open,” Jacob finished his coffee.
“You are so right,” Jessy smiled. “Thanks to you, I want to have a little celebration tonight. Will you stop by for a while? I called my sister and left a message.”
“Sure, I would like that. But first of all, I need to get you that tree,” Jacob stood up.
Jessy stood up, “Okay, give me until one o’clock before you come back over. I should be ready then.”
“Okay, see you then.”
Jacob left and Jessy took the coffee and cups back into the kitchen. She then, went to take a shower and get ready for the rest of her day. Jessy’s eyes were opened up today by the gift of compassion from someone she felt could relate to her pain. Even though her sister lost her mother too, the comfort from her wasn’t quite the same. Could it be the poinsettia’s magic that also warmed her heart up again? Surviving grief is different for everyone.
Around one-fifteen, Jacob carried over the Christmas tree and rang the doorbell. Jessy smiled and opened the front door. What she didn’t expect to see was that Jacob had already put lights up on Jessy’s front porch. She stepped out and admired the soft glow of white lights twinkling on a green garland. And the poinsettias, Jacob arranged just right on the steps of the porch.
“This is beautiful… Thank you, Jacob.”
Jacob felt such joy by seeing Jessy smile again. The simple act of kindness made a huge impact on both of their lives. After Jessy admired the beauty of her porch, she invited Jacob inside with the tree. She had him set it up near the brick fireplace while she opened up all her curtains for more natural light. He then helped her bring down a few boxes from the attic that was full of Christmas lights and ornaments. They spent the rest of the afternoon trimming the tree together and reminiscing about their loved ones' likes and dislikes about the season. They also hung garlands and lights in other areas of the house. It was as festive as it could be in such a short amount of time.
It was almost four-thirty when Rebecca returned her sister's phone call. Jessy answered her phone with a giggle at something that Jacob just said.
“Jessy? Is everything alright? Are you okay?” Rebecca asked.
“Yes, everything is just fine. Can you all come over this evening? I just want to have a little gathering,” Jessy said.
Rebecca was shocked at how cheery her sister sounded but happily accepted the invitation, “yes, we’ll be there for sure. Do you want me to bring anything?”
“Just your smiles and your empty bellies,” Jessy said.
So, later that evening Jessy made her famous fried chicken, baked potatoes, and green salad. Jacob offered to bring over his favorite dessert, a chocolate trifle. Jessy had her dining table set up for a party of five, with three white candles lit and nestled among the green centerpiece. Her home was once again warm and inviting with feelings of joy and cheer. When her sister arrived with her family, they were happy to see the house lit up with lights and a beautifully decorated Christmas tree inside.
Ariel ran into her aunt's arms, “Aunt Jessy, I’m so happy that you decided to have a Christmas this year. I’m sure grandma is happy too,” Ariel looked up at her and smiled.
“Me too Ariel, me too,” Jessy smiled.
Please join me again for one more story of this series next week. I hope that you enjoyed this one and I want to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas.
We lost Vic 11 yrs ago at Christmas time. Last year we finally started trying to get into the Christmas spirit. This year we did much better. Last year we went to Texas to spend a little time Christmas day with our Travis. This year we are back in Texas but we got a little more into the spirit and brought them all (fur babies and wild birds included) gifts to help them celebrate. I don't think we will decorate our place again because our own furry kids would tear everything up. One day when they are too old to climb up a tree we might try it but not now. I know what you are talking about in this story and it made me stop and do some thinking. Maybe by next year we will be a little more into celebrating. Keep writing. You have some wonderful storries to tell.