Celebrate December
“Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving,
make every day a holiday and celebrate just living. “
Amanda Bradley
On this clear cold day with the sun’s glow waking my winter world, December is a perfect time to enjoy a spiritual lift. The cloudless sky seems to open to heaven itself, and outside my wind chimes are ching-chinging a cheerful song. With sunshine glossing the frost, the trees and birds and rocks and water are rejoicing along with me!
I think about how the month of December is a gift for the spirit, full of holiday cheer and family gatherings. Around the world, it is a time of spiritual celebration: Jewish Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, Christmas, the Muslim New Year, and the African American days of Kwanzaa, among others. I like to think about how, in places far and near, the world is affirming that God is good, people are worth loving and life is a gift.
My own personal experience of December began with requests for Christmas stories: civic clubs, women’s groups, schools and libraries. Each event has brought me new friends, a chance to reaffirm the magical power of stories and a chance to feel inspired myself. In December, I am also on a countdown to the 22nd, the Winter Solstice, when I can be soothed by the fact that the darkness of winter will begin to recede with each day’s sun staying a little longer to allow me a few more minutes outside. Like many of you, I am busy during December with preparations for the holidays: cooking special recipes, planning family gatherings, shopping for friends and family, sending out Christmas cards and decorating our home for the holidays. In the midst of all that, as I attend special church services, open cards, choose gifts, unpack special ornaments, listen to Christmas carols and tell stories, I am blessed by memories and friendships. Best of all, the holidays are a time to open my heart, my wallet and my calendar to sharing with others; this year that included a Boys & Girls Club party, a meal for the mentally handicapped, gifts for families whose homes have recently burned and several angel tree children. What a joy all those events have been! Finally, having lived through dark times as well as lighter ones, I also take time each December to consider life’s lessons and to reaffirm my conviction that faith, hard work and compassion will see us through any problem. As I write this, I try to spiritually connect with all those who struggle even now.
So what about you– have you let December inspire you? If not, here are some suggestions:
· Pause to look around you. Drink in the colors and smells and voices and news and everyday miracles of your world. Let yourself believe it is good to be alive!
· Give yourself permission to be at peace: sit, sing, sip, sleep, say a prayer. Rest your weary mind!
· Consider the experiences you have had this year—some will come back as comforting memories, others are less pleasant but they have strengthened you for the road ahead and made you wiser! Share your stories!
· Turn your attention to the people who love you, like you, miss you, need you, disagree with you, haven’t met you, look very different from you. God is waiting for you inside each one of them!
· Enjoy December as a joyous here and now. Invite the world to celebrate along with you enjoying whatever special foods and festivities honor their beliefs. Let us rejoice as one!
It’s December. Soon it will be time to dream the dreams of a New Year. For now, let’s spend the rest of this month with a rekindled sense of the Greater Good and a Greater God.
Happy Holidays, All!
When We Celebrate December, We Can Be a Blessing!
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