Gifts
Late November, I begin looking for the Pohutukawa flowers signaling the beginning of summer and more importantly heralding Christmas. I watch our Pohutukawa tree daily, checking for the first flowers to burst out. This year the trees are late. The potential was there but still, like our lockdown, not yet. It’s been a long season of waiting. I noticed the first flowers whilst at Auckland hospital as I looked out at the majestic trees that surround it. There they were, the first glimpses of red amongst the deep green leaves. Signs of hope, signs of a new season, signs of Christmas. The lead up to Christmas is called “Advent” or waiting. Waiting for the 'light of the world', waiting for hope, joy, and grace. Waiting for Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to come. The Pohutukawa flowers and Christmas are entwined in my mind. I remembered two Christmas seasons spent at Auckland Hospital and here I was for a third time. L...