Epiphany

Was Jesus born on hospice care,

propelled toward his earthly demise

from the moment Mary and Joseph

unwrapped the magi's myrrh?

Is that what incarnation –

being in-the-flesh – is all about;

preparing for death

by learning how to live,

and preparing for life

by learning how to die?

When my mother was

on her death bed,

with less than 24 hours left,

brain tumor ravishing her body,

we arrived home to find her asleep.

She woke up and asked,

in childlike innocence,

“What have you been doing?”

Answering from a place deeper

than my 26 year-old self

knew existed, I replied,

“We’ve been playing at work.”

Ever since that day,

both haunted and propelled

by the mystery of that exchange,

I’ve caught glimpses

of the hospice care

with which my life's surrounded:

love, support, and nurture

that strengthen and encourage me

to breathe deeply of each moment,

savor people, treasure the journey,

and give grace free flow to rush in

and out of my broken places,

washing fear and anxiety away.

These are the gifts of the one

who was calm and secure in both

his going out and his coming in,

inhaling death and exhaling life.

© 2014 Todd Jenkins