Every day is a time of rebirth. Every dawn is the beginning of a new day. We are constantly being transformed into a newness... every day... every moment... if we are open to it. However, if you are anything like me, you may miss it.
I haven’t felt much like Christmas this year. I am feeling the loss of my mother deeply. Christmas was her favorite time of year. Mom spent the entire year buying gifts for all the people in her life, giving each one a great deal of thought and experiencing a sense of joy as each arrived in the mail and she imagined the pleasure it would give to the recipient. Often, she lost track of all the things she bought... or I would put them in ‘safe’ places and not be able to locate them on request... so she bought more. Always wanting to match just the right gift with just the right person.
Mom enjoyed giving. I have never met anyone who received as much joy from giving as Mom did. As much joy as she received from giving, she experienced the same joy in receiving. What a lesson there is in that for me!!
It’s often said, “Christmas is for children”... mainly because we love seeing and experiencing the joy and excitement of children as they discover Santa had come and open their gifts. With Mom at Christmas, I never felt the lack of the presence of children. Mom herself was like a child in her excitement of being surprised. It was pure joy for me to watch her carefully open each gift, cutting the pieces of scotch tape, saving and folding the paper for future use and finally getting to the gift itself. Then she would laugh and squeal with pleasure at what she found. Our friend, Dee, said she loved finding and giving Mom little things because she loved the way Mom giggled at opening them and was always appreciative, praising the giver for being so thoughtful.
I know I got a little carried away talking about Mom... but with Mom gone, so is a very large part of my celebrating Christmas. There is sadness but for some reason I think feeling the sadness is paramount to coming to know the joy... the joy of knowing there is always a new birth ... a new day on the horizon... a new hope.
Uniting myself with Jesus’ birth... joining with others in celebration... I know the joy, the peace, the love and the light. I see it as a time of a personal rebirth... a time of renewal of self. Christmas is another beginning... a time for growth and renewal.
Yes, there is sadness attached to the joy... there will always be labor pains with birth... but we labor with love because we know and want all those gifts new birth brings.
Happy Birthday, Jesus!
And a very Blessed Christmas to you, my family and dear friends
P.S. It's been a while since I've written a blog but I assure you, the writing has never stopped. A new book, "A Bird on the Wing of God" has just been published....available on Amazon....and another. "In the Light" is scheduled for January.
God Bless you All!!
