I could say that this is my favorite time of year, but you’d probably roll your eyes at the familiarity of it all. It is, just the same. I know that today life seems to move at a breakneck speed, rushing us to go go go forward without taking the time to breathe. It is a busy time that often leaves us longing for those days when we were too young to know that there was an overbooked schedule. We lived in the moment. We get to make cookies tonight, or we are going to go caroling tonight with the church, and then have hot chocolate. It meant making homemade ornaments, and popcorn garland, around the fireplace.
What have we made it, today? I hope that you still carry those traditions, those precious moments when you are allowed to just, be. Looking at the Christmas lights was always an adventure because it seemed that the entire state illuminated their homes with lights. Too often we get too busy to really notice. Are we too busy? Probably, so, but it’s not too late to stop and breathe.
We can reflect on the best of times, like the hard candies that always seemed to stick in the bottom of the stockings. They were still good. I do have memories that will always be treasured, no matter how busy I get. We didn’t have a ton of gifts to open on Christmas day, but we did have a ton of love poured into each one.
I submit to you that whether you have been blessed with much or little, the greatest gift you can give this year is your time to love those who mean the most to you. One day it may be too late to say I love you, but if you live every day as if it were the last day, your life will be truly blessed with the things that really matter. I still draw from the wells of the laughter and love that was demonstrated in my family. Were they perfect? No, but it didn’t matter because they gave the most precious gift that they could have ever given to me. They gave their undivided attention and love.
Shouldn’t I be willing to carry on that tradition? I wish you all the best this blessed season. A gift was given and we find out more about that in this week’s Lattereign.
In the Time of the Lattereign 