The innocence captured in a child's eyes and held hostage in the heart...recapturing those youthful moments of excitement and awe of a tradition that transcends time and place no matter where
you are, what age, or realm in which you find yourself at this time of year...your heart always travels
back, if even for a moment...perfectly suspended, if even briefly, in those priceless moments of joy! The sounds, the smells, the music, the lights, the anticipation all weave into a magically intoxicating splendor.
The gift is innocence...the belief that the child lives on in each of us. That
even the smallest of pleasures are indeed the most profound and priceless.
The joy of the season. We are brought together, if only once a year, as a family. We prepare the
feast and smile and laugh. Share conversations and catch up on those things we have missed in
each others life. Our children play together while the men discuss sports and the women talk endlessly over steamy cups of coffee. Neighbors, that we only wave to in passing, greet us at the
door with homemade goodies and best wishes for the holidays. Friends and relatives that you haven't heard from in months call to say, "Merry Christmas".
The gift is joy....the spontaneous actions, simple or grand, that bring a smile to our hearts. The
action of caring, sharing, and extending the most beautiful of gifts...presence, smiles, and time.
The peace...the inner solitude that can only be felt when we are whole, when we have experienced
the art of acceptance and forgiveness FIRST within ourselves and then shared the lesson and benefits to others, especially those who have caused us hurt. To forgive in completeness...to let
go of those emotional strings that rob us of precious time and energy and drain us of spirit.
The gift is peace...inner peace...that challenges us to answer with honesty and forgiveness...
"What makes you feel that the wrong is more important and greater than my love for you"?
The love...the extension of self. The season generates an incredible force. Every baked good
prepared with a healthy measure in each ingredient, every package wrapped with careful gentleness, each gift selected with that person's joy in mind, each act of kindness done so as
an individual offering, each hand held in prayer connecting families and communities and reaching
across miles to say I love you....a simple expression ...all are but a TOKEN...a small piece of
the greatest love of all....the gift of our Savior. Some of us call him Yahweh, Abba, Jesus, Higher
Being, God, Savior, Christ Jesus....but the message is the same in all languages..the name is
not so important as the "gift" and the "message" behind the life.
The gift is love....given unconditionally, transcending time and place, each act important not in its
size, color, shape, or cost.....but in the single expression of the act itself.
This Christmas I am in a foreign land, thousands of miles from what I call home, family, loved ones,
customs and traditions, but each of you are here. I can hear the laughter, smell the pine of the
Christmas tree, feel the snowflakes on my nose, taste the ham and sip hot Irish Coffee.....feel the
warmth of tears gently trail down my cheeks...because I realize that its love...your love, your incredible acts of kindness, extension of self, and presence if only in heart that has touched my life.
So I wish for you the magical gifts of the season...innocence, joy, peace, love...none of them have
a fancy price tag or beautiful wrapping...but they are each priceless treasures.
Please do not keep this gift for yourself....share it with others!
May your heart "be home for Christmas"...and the blessings of the season be yours.
