Arthritis Ashley

Dear Santa,

Please make my wish come true.

It’s a tall order, but I believe in you.

Christmas miracles, they happen, right?

If so, can you make me feel alright?

I can do without glittery diamonds or wealth,

I can even go without an Elf on the Shelf,

All I want, Santa, is really my health,

… can you make this wish come true?

Santa, if you hear me, I could do without pain.

I could do without sickness,  I could do without rain.

My bones ache, but my heart is full,

and I know that life is still wonderful,

but if I can selfishly ask for one thing,

you have no idea the joy it would bring.

A cure, not a pony, not a yacht, not a jewel,

A cure for my illness, the tide to my yule.

I’m always holly-jolly, but I’d be it a little more,

if I had this precious gift, that isn’t at the store.

I pray for it every night,

even when there’s no end in sight,

and if Santa can’t deliver, or he’s gotten a little off-track,

I know that God, the reason for the season,

He has always got my back.

But it’s a lot of patient waiting, and a lot of wishful thinking.

What a Christmas it would be to enjoy the lights a-twinklin’,

to be full of cheer, with not pain, not a tear,

not a pain, not a wince, nor an ache in sight.

What a joy this holiday would be

if I could feel alright.

But if not, I know I’ve still gotten the best gift of all:

the love of God, family, and friends, and the beauties of this life,

large and small.

– Ashley Boynes-Shuck