CROSSES
"On the same Christmas day that Caleb and Eli each gave me a flashlight, Celeste gave me a cross made of two nails welded together and polished. I saw it at an arts-and-crafts fair and dropped a subtle hint, something like, 'Hey, why don't you buy me that for Christmas?' Celeste has always been attuned to my nuances.
"I like this cross because it has some heft to it. I used to wear a small cross made of light stone, but there were plenty of times I forgot it was there. I can feel this one thump against my chest when I walk, and poke my skin when I twist the wrong way. Crosses are only what we make of them, I suppose, if that. Some people like small crosses tucked beneath a shirt, others like a bold crucifix dangling outside their vestments. As for me, I like this simple cross of nails against my skin. At times it is the slightest bit painful, and its weight keeps it never far from my mind. I've done my blackest deeds when I put the cross far from mind. I need this weight, just like I need my bookmarks and flashlights and love offerings of sticky chewing gum."
~Tony Woodlief, from his book Somewhere More Holy
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