Every year since we have been married my husband has been in charge of the Christmas postcard and we both like it that way. Usually I’m in awe with what he creates. He’s funny, clever, and thoughtful.

This year’s postcard is no exception. However, I never thought I’d be pictured as Marty McFly from the Back to The Future movies. Here it is, a play on the movie poster.

My first reaction was that it didn’t seem very Christmas-y. Yes, I know that October 21, 2015 marked the future in Back to the Future Part II. Yes, it’s clever. I just wasn’t sure if people would get it and what there was even to “get.” Quite frankly, the movies don’t portray the past or the future as particularly hopeful places. Then again it is an interesting reflection on time. And besides, Jesse is in charge and we both like it that way.

When Jesse asked me if there was anything I would like to the add, I only had two requests: 1) Add Rainbow stripes on my phone, and 2) Include a line from Kahlil Gibran’s reflection on Time in his book The Prophet. You can read the full writing here: Time 

And so as I addressed each card (the one job Jesse gives me each year), and as I placed a card in each church mailbox at Rainbow, I found myself praying these words with each postcard delivered: Let today embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing. 

We both stand by what we wrote on the back of the postcard:  “No matter how many mistakes have been made int he past, no matter how bleak the future looks at times, we are fortunate to have each other, a loving family, Rainbow, and some of the best friends in any timeline.”

Merry Christmas,

Doc, Rev. Marty McFly, Pepper our flying cat, and Helo the pouty one

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