May the spirit of St. Nicholas visit you

SOUL FOOD

Friday is St. Nicholas’ Day.

I am reminded of this by a five-pointed star that hangs from the

doorknob of my kitchen door. The star is fashioned from two pieces of

cloth, sewn together and then stuffed. It is embroidered all over

with tiny purple glass beads. It hangs by a silver cord.

In the morning, as I make coffee, it twinkles in the soft early

light. In the evening, when I start dinner, it glints under the beams

of an overhead lamp. Morning and evening, day after day, it fills a

tired cliche with meaning; it is “a gift that keeps on giving.”

The star is a gift from my friend Lisa. Purple, if a rare color

for stars, is my favorite color. Lisa knows this. She knows that if I

could choose a name, I would be Lydia, after the biblical woman, a

seller of purple from the city of Thyatira. Lydia and her household

were baptized after hearing of the gospel from St. Paul. The story is

told in the Acts of the Apostles.

Before Lisa gave me the glass-jeweled star on St. Nicholas Day

last year, she wrote and fastened a small note to its cord. It says,

“God bless you! You’ve been a bright star in my life since the day we

met.”

Her gift has shined bright for me every day since. Its thoughtful

message warms me. The star shines like a beacon. It calls me again

and again to remember God.

God made the sun and the moon and the stars, according to Genesis

1:16: “God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on

the earth.”

Psalm 148 declares, “He commanded and they were created. He has

established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which shall

not pass away.”

The star beckons me every day to remember the Christian charity of

St. Nicholas, who was the bishop of Myra, Lycia, in fourth-century

Asia Minor.

He was born to a wealthy family and, at a young age, inherited a

tidy fortune, the whole of which, during the course of his life, he

distributed to the poor. Many miracles are credited to him. So he is

sometimes called Nicholas the Wonderworker.

But he is remembered foremost for his lifelong faith in Christ,

his piety, his compassion and goodwill. He did just as Jesus asked.

“Love one another as I have loved you,” Jesus said. “This is my

commandment ... Do for others just what you want them to do for you.”

Day after day, morning and evening, my St. Nicholas Day star gets

me to think and asks me to act, on these things. It prompts me to

give, not so much as one bumper sticker slogan recommends, by

committing random acts of kindness, but with intention and care, as

God has given to me.

It reminds me to appreciate what I receive from the hearts and

hands of others. It reminds me to show my gratitude, to try always to

say thank you.

In many countries on Dec. 6, St. Nicholas is said to bring

foil-wrapped chocolate coins, other sweets, winter fruits, nuts and

small gifts to children of all ages. He leaves them, in secret,

stuffed into shoes left conveniently by house doors. I hope he visits

you.

Friday is St. Nicholas Day. May each of us be a bright star in

someone’s day and may someone be a bright star in ours.

* MICHELE MARR is a freelance writer from Huntington Beach. She

can be reached at michele@soulfoodfiles.com.