Enjoy Each Blessed Moment and make Happy Memories

Greetings from Florida.

Join me to the tune of “Sleigh Bells Ring.”

Seagulls sing, are you list’nin’?
At the beach, surf is glist’nin’,
A beautiful sight, a sunset tonight,
Walkin’ in a winter wonderland.

Stored away are the snow skis,
Here we stay in our short sleeves,
You sing a new song, “This is where we belong!”
Livin’ in a winter wonderland.

In the yard, we can trim a palm tree,
Then pretend to shovel lots of snow,
You’ll say, “Do you miss it?”, I’ll say, “No ma’am,”
“I feel younger by the minute don’t you know.”

Later on we’ll conspire,
And grill some shrimp on the fire,
The plans we have made include sun and shade,
Walkin’ in a winter wonderland.
News Press, McGregor ©1993
(and thanks to my friend, Junie)

(My sister's festive house)

(Oak trees get a glimmer of Christmas in Florida) 

As we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and other religious and spiritual celebrations we need to be more respectful of each other’s customs and traditions. These practices are what make families strong and nations great. They are the threads that weave through society and hold people together. Our differences should not divide us, but create pattern, texture and variation.

Small people and small minds create walls. Character builds bridges. Character and empathy brought the Berlin wall down. Hatred diminishes, engulfs and finally destroys.

“I found that by forgiving them (the Nazis), I held the ultimate power and the pain stopped.” From “Finding Rebecca” by Eoin Dempsey (great book!)

Grace and forgiveness brought God’s son to earth in the form of a babe to bring salvation to mankind if they would but believe.

"Mother and Child" brush drawing in oil (My beautiful daughter Holly with her first daughter.)

Hatred nailed Jesus Christ to the cross denying His divinity but fulfilling prophecy found in Isaiah 53 and Zechariah that the Messiah would be born in a little town of Bethlehem. And “He would be called wonderful, counselor, the everlasting Father the Prince of Peace.”

Even non-believers get caught up in the spirit of the “Season of Giving.” For one blessed night commemorating the eve of His birth brotherly love is felt and experienced. Wars are often paused. Sickness is healed. The chains of hatred and sin are broken as people around the world worship His Holy name.

Palm trees wrapped in lights.

Sadly we’re in a political season of mud-slinging and division. This quote from George Orwell over 50 years ago still holds true. We’d do well to remember it.

“Political language . . . is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” George Orwell

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah everybody! Have a blessed season.

The Perfect Gift was Laid in a Manger Bringing Hope and Forgiveness to a Lost World

On Sunday, we shared a Chinese meal at a popular restaurant with our dear friends before they went their separate ways for Christmas. After dinner, we took turns opening our fortune cookies and sharing out loud the good advice and bits of wisdom inside:  “Procrastination is fear of success” and “Find a peaceful place where you can make plans for the future” were a couple of them.

Every table was full; and by the time we left, people were standing in line waiting to get inside. The lack of English speaking skills and the décor reminded me of the classic “Christmas Story” where Ralphie and his mother have an ongoing battle over his wanting a rifle for Christmas. “You’ll shoot you’re eye out,” she warns him, and eventually he almost does.

After having their Christmas turkey devoured by a pack of neighborhood dogs, the family ends up in a Chinese restaurant for dinner. The Asian staff tries to cheer them by singing: “Deck the Hars with Boughs of Horry – rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah rah rah rah”

The laughter afterward brings the family around to seeing the brighter side of every situation. Perfect families and picture perfect Christmas’s don’t exist except in the pages of Better Homes and Gardens or in the homes of Martha Stewart wanna’ be’s. So we need to grasp what joy we can and accept the rest: the torn Christmas wrappings piled on the floor, the store-bought pies, the scorched gravy and lumpy potatoes.

That first Christmas wasn’t perfect either. The straw was prickly, the stench of cattle surrounded the manger and the birth pangs were painful and real. But on that night, the hope of the world was born and unconditional love was wrapped in swaddling clothes when God became flesh. Forgiveness and mercy were given a name “and you shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins.”

The chasm between God and man was narrowed for “Christ the Lord was born.” From that point forward, faith bridged the gap that separated us from God; and fear and hopelessness were banished forever by “the light which shines in darkness.”

Merry Christmas everybody and a Happy New Year!