Every year around this time, I feel a need to update a column from previous years. This one dates from 2013.

The first Christmas after Joan died, I decided not to put away all the Christmas decorations. They spoke to me of warmth in winter, of caring and compassion, of togetherness 91裸聊视频� themes I desperately needed that first year of Covid-19 isolation.

So, for the last three years, a small ceramic Christmas tree has been sitting on a table in my front hall. It91裸聊视频檚 not much of a tree 91裸聊视频� about 12 inches high, dark green, with whitish snowflakes on the ends of its branches. A light bulb inside shines out through coloured plastic plugs stuck into holes in the branches.

If I91裸聊视频檓 going out at night, I turn it on before I leave. When I come home again, it welcomes me back, glowing softly in the darkened entry.

It never was particularly pretty, I suppose. But it91裸聊视频檚 special. Because it was given to me with love.

It came from a woman named Lorraine Wicklow almost 50 years ago. The next summer, Lorraine died of a massive brain hemorrhage.

As far as I know, she had no family, no relatives. Perhaps I was her family. She used to drop in at my office, when I worked for the United Church91裸聊视频檚 national magazine, The Observer. She always arrived at the very end of the day, just as I was loading up my briefcase to go home.

Internally, I sighed. I knew this would be a long evening.

91裸聊视频淛ust a minute, Lorraine,91裸聊视频� I would say. Then I91裸聊视频檇 call Joan: 91裸聊视频淟orraine just dropped in.91裸聊视频�

Joan understood, and took supper out of the oven.

91裸聊视频淚 mustn91裸聊视频檛 keep you,91裸聊视频� Lorraine always said. But she did, anyway.

Lorraine91裸聊视频檚 theology couldn91裸聊视频檛 have been farther from mine. She attended a fundamentalist church. She had visions. She told me about heaven. About streets paved with gold, and gates made of jewels. About the people she met there, and their message for me.

When I described her visions to Gordon Nodwell, the minister at the United Church down the street from my office, he said, 91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 straight out of Revelation.91裸聊视频�

So I read Revelation.

She91裸聊视频檇 relate another of her visions. 91裸聊视频淒o you believe that?91裸聊视频� she would ask, leaning forward earnestly.

91裸聊视频淣ot really,91裸聊视频� I would reply. And I would try to explain, as well as I could.

She countered with a text, invariably from the King James Version.

We lived in different worlds. But we listened to each other.

Still, whether I understood her or not, I know she lived her faith, 100 percent. She forgave me for my heresies, because that91裸聊视频檚 what Jesus would have done.

And, sometimes, after I had stumbled through an explanation of why I believed what I did, she would say, 91裸聊视频淵ou know, when you talk to me that way, you almost shine.91裸聊视频�

Lorraine91裸聊视频檚 little ceramic tree still shines in the darkness of my front hall. It seems to embody the promise in John91裸聊视频檚 gospel: 91裸聊视频淭he light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never been able to put it out.91裸聊视频�

Someday, Lorraine91裸聊视频檚 tree will break and go into landfill. Until then, though, she continues to shine in my memories.

~Jim Taylor lives in Lake Country: rewrite@shaw.ca