December 2015 - Just ObservingJust Observing

It’s quiet, no holiday songs, no ringing bells, just a much needed light rain in Southern California.

I’ve been shopping for Christmas since October, decorating for Christmas since the second week in November, and am overflowing with Christmas joy and glitter. But now that the shopping, wrapping, cards and all the clients are done, I sit here in peace and think…

Why, at this time of the year, is loss, illness, or hunger so magnified? What makes this time of the year so different? When families get together and celebrate holidays at other times of the year, do they feel their losses or illnesses as deeply as they do during this holiday? Are the hungry not hungry “all” yearlong?

I think, maybe the answer is this: Christmas isn’t just a holiday. It’s a time that represents pure love, pure kindness and pure acceptance. A magical time that basically creates a circular ornament of love… we sing, feed the hungry and give meaningful gifts. In turn our hearts are filled with love, which causes us to do it all over and over again!

Circular Ornament of Love

But when someone close to us is ill or their journey has ended, we replace that magic with sadness and loss. The circle is broken and our ornament begins to tarnish and crack.

It’s just about then when we need to remember about the glue that Christmas creates; the glue that was produced so very long ago. The glue that helps us believe that our journey, no matter how sad or painful, does not have to be experienced alone.

God’s

Love is

Unwavering and

Enduring

Another name for that glue, which is why we’re celebrating, is Jesus.

So take your ornament, fill those sadness cracks with a little glue and be grateful for the memories of lost ones, for the time spent with those who are ill and the meals we have in our cupboards. After Christmas, don’t pack that ornament away – hang it up to remind you to keep the circle of Love going!