Holiday Spirits

I always find it funny when people implore the universe for help on Facebook, but a few years ago—on the advice of a friend—I had an energetic healer come to my home. I was going through some dramatic personal changes and all the upheaval in my life had me wondering if things would be OK.

After walking around with some crystals and incense, she stopped and said, “Jerome. Does that mean anything to you?” I had to think about it for a few minutes before I realized she was standing in front of a moving box that contained the icon of St. Gerasimos, the patron saint of the small island in Greece where my mother grew up. “He’s here with you now,” she said.

It may sound crazy, but I think he’s been there for a lot of my life’s most taxing moments; last year when my husband survived a motorcycle crash, my mother told me that during the moment of impact she had been reading a book about the life of St. Gerasimos.

For Greeks, a favor paid is a favor owed, so on the one-year anniversary of Tom’s accident we took a trip to Kefalonia to visit his monastery. Inside the church, we climbed down into the humble cave where he lived and prayed 500 years ago, and we silently said a prayer of thanks.

The best part of the holiday season is that it’s a no-holds-barred opportunity to loudly thank the people who make our lives great. So as the year comes to a close, I’d like to thank Team Michigan Avenue and especially my partner in crime, Dan Uslan, who has saved me from myself too many times to count.

Happy holidays!

SUSANNA NEGOVAN

TOP: Inside the cave of St. Gerasimos