Chapter 12, Page 31, Book 15

Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.

 Brad Paisley

December 31st - eve of the new year

The end of another year tends to make us nostalgic.  We remember the past as look to the future.   Old times are not forgotten.  They’ve made us into what we are.   

Last winter left me frozen and longing for Spring.  We had snow at Easter.

Spring came and I happily rejoiced as the tulips bloomed again

Summer came and my family took the time to come home so that we were all together for the first time in a long time.

Fall came and it was a beautiful one here, lasting way beyond the norm

Now it’s winter once more and a mild one for us here right now.  But knowing that winter must be cold and snowy in Ohio we’ll just count ourselves blessed while we can.

I hope you all have a safe and Happy New Years Eve!

Chapter 12, Page 30, Book 15

Whether we want them or not, the New Year will bring new challenges; whether we seize them or not, the New Year will bring new opportunities. 

Michael Josephson

December 30th - Love can challenge

I’ve always loved a challenge.

 Lana Turner

The ability to love,  laugh, play, and have fun with others not only makes life more enjoyable but also helps you solve problems, connect with others, and be more creative.

The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you depending on how you respond to them.  They say that people are like teabags if you want to know what's inside them, just drop them into hot water!  Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. 

Joshua J. Marine

I’ve learned to look at life’s harsh realities and toughest challenges as friends that are going to help you grow. Challenges can make us see the value of the important things in our lives and enjoy the gifts money can’t buy.  We need to stay true to our loves, our values, and our purpose. 

Life has often taught me that humor gives us an entirely different perspective on our problems. If we can perceive it in a lighter frame, it is no longer a threat to us. It's certainly very difficult to force a laugh while in a stressful situation. However, that's precisely the time when you need to laugh the most. 

When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. 

Author Unknown

A sense of humor is the key to resilience. It helps you take hardships in stride, weather disappointment, and bounce back from adversity and loss.  Shared laughter and play helps you break free from rigid ways of thinking and behaving, allowing you to see the problem in a new way and find a creative solution

Life’s challenges are designed not to break us but to bend us toward God.

There are few things in this life that are impossible and we always have a choice. We don’t have to live in the shadow of what could have been if we shine a light on what’s working to allow it to grow.

I choose love and laughter, making ever moment count!

Whether we want them or not, the New Year will bring new challenges; whether we seize them or not, the New Year will bring new opportunities. 

Michael Josephson

Chapter 12, Page 29, Book 15

Don’t Let Your Light Burn Out

Anonymous

    One night long ago, a man took a taper , a long, waxed wick, lighted it, and began to ascend a long, winding staircase.

Where are you taking me? asked the taper.

    To the top of the house, said the man, We’re going to show the ships at sea where the harbor is. We’re at the harbor entrance and some ships far out to sea on this stormy night may be looking for our light even now.

    But no ship could see my light!  said the taper.  It’s too small!

    It may be small, said the man, but keep it burning bright and leave the rest to me.

    Then he climbed the stairs to the top, for this was a lighthouse they were in, and he took the little taper and lighted the great lamps that stood ready with their polished reflectors behind them.

    Don’t let your light burn out. Keep it bright and it may do great things.

December 29th - SHINE!

As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

Marianne Williamson


It seems that we all have a little voice inside that tries to hold us back.  Sometimes it tells us not to say what we feel so we won’t make any waves. It tells us not to define what we want so that things can stay predictably easy. It tells us not to go for our dreams because we may not be good enough.

It may also tell us that it’s selfish to focus on our own desires and goals, that good people are more concerned with giving than getting. But giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. And sometimes the best thing we can give to others is a reminder that we all deserve to live passionate, fulfilling, engaged lives, and we all have the capacity to do it.

So remember to let your light shine.  Do your best to keep your light bright in whatever circumstances you find yourself and remember that the right thing is always the right thing, even if no one else does it except you.

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

Daniel 12:3

Chapter 12, Page 28, Book 15

Way to Happiness 

Anonymous

The way to happiness: keep your heart free of hate, your mind of worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Fill life with love. Scatter sunshine. Forget self, think of others. Do as you would be done by. Try for one week and you’ll be surprised

December 28th - try it, you might just like it!

According to recent studies and documentaries, an increasing number of people in today's world are reporting unhappiness.  One of the ways in which we find happiness is in social interaction, family, friends, and a sense of community. 

So, why not try to spread some smiles, to make others happy, which in turn will make each of us happier too.

In today's society everyone is super busy with their own lives. But this is no excuse. Take five minutes of your time each day to make someone else happy, to see a smile spread across their face. Just knowing that you caused this chain of events will make you a happier person, too.

Remember that happiness, just like smiles and laughter, can in a way be contagious. So let's all try to solve this unhappiness problem. By helping others we are also helping ourselves. Spread the smiles, share happiness and make the world a better place.

Scatter sunshine all along your way. Cheer and bless and brighten. Ev'ry passing day. 

Chapter 12, Page 27, Book 15

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.

Hal Borland

December 27th - 2016 is coming...

The year is winding down and there is only a few more days to share my many different and varied takes on love.  I’ll be choosing a new word for 2016 and even though I enjoyed this years word, love, I won’t be doing another full year of dwelling on the different aspects of the same word again.  

None the less, I’m hoping that there will be a few more inspirational and hopefully encouraging thoughts to share.

It wasn’t the easiest thing to do at all, but worth it, as that one word, LOVE, means so much and does make the world go round.  If you don’t think this world has much love in it then it’s time to love a little more.  

It’s a gift we can give with out spending any money, we just need spend our time and attention.

Chapter 12, Page 26, Book 15

 From home to home, and heart to heart,

 from one place to another
The warmth and joy of Christmas, 

brings us closer to each other.

Emily Matthews

December 26th - Christmas doesn’t end yet

Work of Christmas Begins
Howard Thurman, adapted
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
     to find the lost,
     to heal those broken in spirit,
     to feed the hungry,
     to release the oppressed,
     to rebuild the nations,
     to bring peace among all peoples,
     to make a little music with the heart…

And to radiate the Light of Christ,
every day, in every way, 

in all that we do and in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.

Embracing God’s love for us is the key to loving others.

I do like to think of Christmas as a beginning of better things to come. All the love and compassion we felt Christmas Day should be just a beginning of what we do throughout the year. 

Love alone could waken love

Pearl S. Buck.

Chapter 12, Page 25, Book 15

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yuletide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane

December 25th - Love came on Christmas Day

It is the season of the heart
A special time of caring
The ways of love made clear
It is the season of the spirit
The message, if we hear it
Is make it last all year

Paul Williams

Here's wishing you blessed joy, the gift of hope, guidance, and comfort. 

Merry Christmas to you and yours, from my house with love…

'ma'

Chapter 12, Page 24, Book 15

My Christmas wish for You!

I have a list of people I know
All written in a book
And every year at Christmastime
I go and take a look
And that is when I realise
That those names are a part
Not of the book they're written in
But of my very heart
For each name stands for someone
Who has crossed my path some time
And in that meeting they've become
A treasured friend of mine
And once you've met some people
The years can not erase
The memory of a pleasant word
Or a friendly face
So when I send a Christmas card
That is addressed to you
It's because you're on that list
Of folk I'm indebted to
And you are one of many folk who
In times past I've met
And happen to be one of those
I don't want to forget
And whether I have known you for
Many years or few
In some way you have a part in
Shaping things I do
This, the spirit of Christmas, that
Forever and ever endures
May it leave it richest blessing
In the hearts of you and yours.

December 24 - Christmas wishes

Happy Christmas Eve!

Chapter 12, Page 23, Book 15

Your greatest power is the power to be.
To be more loving. To be more courageous.
To be more joyous. To be more friendly.
To be more sensitive. To be more aware.
To be more forgiving. To be more tolerant.
To be more humble. To be more patient.
To be more helpful.
To be a greater human being.

Wilfred A. Peterson 

December 23 - smiles are powerful things

There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all.

A smile not only crosses geographic boundaries, it also crosses the boundaries of culture, background, age and beliefs. What's more, it works the same magic in them all!

A warm smile can make a child feel better, as surely as it can cheer up an old man. It can soften hearts and firm up commitments. It can mend friendships and break tensions. It can reassure and give support. It can say 'I love you' and 'congratulations.' It can make deals. It can make friendships. It can make memories or even make your day.

But perhaps, most important of all, a smile can make the world a better place for the person who gives it - YOU!

A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near,
A little gift from one held dear,
Best wishes for the coming year.

These make a merry Christmas!

John Greenleaf Whittier

Chapter 12, Page 22, Book 15

In all ranks of life the human heart yearns for the beautiful; and the beautiful things that God makes are his gift to all alike.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

December 22 - a cheerful giver

It is a pleasure to a real lover of Nature to give winter all the glory he can, for summer will make its own way, and speak its own praises. 

Dorothy Wordsworth

Christmas is a celebration of how God shared His love with us. This story, found in one of my daily devotionals, tells it best. Time before time when the world was young, two sisters shared a field and mill together. Each night they divided evenly the grain they had ground together during the day. One sister lived alone, the other had a husband and a large family. Now the single sister thought to herself one day, It isn't really fair that we divide the grain evenly. I have only myself to care for, but my sister has a family to feed.

 So each night she secretly took some of her grain to her sister's granary to see that she was never without. But the married sister said to herself one day, It isn't fair that we divide the grain evenly, because I have children to provide for me in my old age, but my sister has no one. What will she do then?

So every night she secretly took some of her grain to her sister's granary. As a result, both of them always found their supply of grain mysteriously replenished each morning. Then one night they met each other half-way between their houses. Suddenly they realized what had been happening, and embraced each other in love. It is said that the spot where they met became a holy place, because God was made known to the world in a place where human beings discovered each other sharing in acts of love.

When we share and give in love most of the mud of the world will become a firm foundation of peace for all.

Remember
This December,
That love weighs more than gold!

Josephine Dodge

Chapter 12, Page 21, Book 15

RECIPE FOR A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Blend equal parts of Faith and Hope mixed well with Charity;

Stir in Good Will and Sweet Content and Precious Memory.
Add Kindness, Helpfulness and Joy; of Gratitude don't spare;
Then drop by drop Love's Essence sweet, and Praises freely share.
And don't forget such spices rare as Laughter, Smiles and Fun,
Taste often for the best results, 'Tis sweet to mince upon.  Now add a
Thankful Heart and then, the recipe's complete,
Your Merry Christmas all will like … so try the season's treat.

Esther Lloyd Dauber

December 21 - it’s almost here!

The merry family gatherings--
The old, the very young;
The strangely lovely way they
Harmonize in carols sung.

For Christmas is tradition time--
Traditions that recall
The precious memories down the years,
The sameness of them all.

Helen Lowrie Marshall

Christmas is a time for family gatherings. All over the world, families gather during this special time to celebrate their life together. And despite all the demands of hosting these gatherings, we usually look forward to them with excitement and eager anticipation.

Soon our family will be gathering for our family Christmas feast.  I so look forward to the times we can be together.  Having a large family, it’s getting very difficult to do but I am thankful for the ones that make the effort to gather each holiday, but especially at Christmas.

To see my children sit and chat and laugh over the old times they had together really warms my old heart.  And seeing my grandchildren playing with there cousins is a blessing to.  I grew up with lots of cousins and I can still remember the good times I had with them.

Families are forever and good times are never forgotten.  The memories we have of them help us to get through the days when they are no longer in our lives.

It’s in loving and laughing we make the good times worth remembering.  

This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive. 

 Alice Waters

Chapter 12, Page 20, Book 15

Silent night, holy night,
all is calm, all is bright
round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
sleep in heavenly peace,
sleep in heavenly peace.

composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr

December 20 -  Shhh

Let's approach Advent with an expectant hush, rather than a last minute rush.

Anonymous 

It has been said that if we don't have 'silent nights,' we won't have 'holy nights’.  If we don't have quiet, we may not have Christmas. There may be no room for Him in our noisy inn.

At this time of year, the world turns up the volume, providing almost constant racket and noise. We bombard ourselves with TVs, radios, and movies. We can't put down our electronic devices.

The Christ of Christmas often speaks in a still, small voice. Only those who are quiet enough will hear Him. ‘Shhh.' He's coming.

On this last Sunday of Advent, we quietly reflect on the mystery.

We rest in awe, in wonder, at how our God entered our world and came to be with us. We pause to receive the gift offered us: that the Spirit of God will open up our lives and that Jesus will really come into our hearts

 Lets take a moment of silence to simply sit in Gods presence together.

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.      

Author unknown

Chapter 12, Page 19, Book 15

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

John 1:5

December 19 - lighting up

We find meaning in the season of Advent, a time when we await the birth of new Life in a suffering world. As darkness in our region deepens and the nights grow long and cold, Advent calls us to trust and participate anew in the coming of the Light. 

Fritz Weiss 

The Legend of the Christmas Candle

Many years ago an old cobbler and his wife lived in a little village in Austria. Although very poor, whatever they owned they shared with others. Each night they placed a lighted candle in the window of their cottage as a sign of hospitality to any traveler needing shelter. 

Through the years, war and famine plagued this little village. Yet, as though some mysterious charm guarded them, the cobbler and his wife suffered far less than their neighbors.  

One evening, on the night before Christmas, the villagers gathered to discuss their plight. There is something special about the cobbler and his wife, said one villager. They are always spared our misfortunes. What do they do that we do not? Let us put a candle in our windows too. Perhaps that is the charm.

That night every home lit a Christmas candle in each window, and lo, before the sun rose, a messenger brought great news to the village. Peace had come! The villagers gave thanks to God for this blessing of Peace and vowed to always light candles on Christmas Eve.  

This beautiful custom spread throughout the world, and each year millions of Christmas candles light up the world with a message of love and everlasting joy.



Christmas reminds us to seek the Light rather than to curse the darkness.

Chapter 12, Page 18, Book 15

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. 

Burton Hillis

December 18 - be present, being loved

Your children know you love them by your presence, not your presents.

Author Unknown

I think we all need the presence of those we love a lot more than we need their presents.  It’s nice to get a gift, but to be able to spend time with our loved ones is something I prize much more.  

It seems to me that our best memories typically include the presence of others, the presence of love and connection. We don’t remember Snapchats or Facebook posts. Our memories are not littered with status updates or tweets or that perfectly styled Instagram pic. We remember the aftermath, the moments when our lives stop being lived out for the eyes of others and are, instead, lived in the presence of the people in front of us.

It is important to be a constant, loving presence in the life of another.  Each of us has known someone in our life that has been a constant, loving presence.  They create an awareness of goodness and unconditional love.  We can't give presence without taking the time out of our lives to give to others.

When you spend time together, you strengthen bonds that will last throughout the years.

Presence is more than just being there

Malcolm Stevenson Forbes

Chapter 12, Page 17, Book 15

December 17th - a stable foundation

The Carpenter's House 
Author Unknown  

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family.

He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front door key to the carpenter. This is your house, he said, my gift to you.

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says,  Life is a do it yourself project. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

Think about what is already happening where you are this Advent: in your family, neighborhood, school, church, community, in your world. How can you be fully present to these moments

Having an attitude of gratitude will help us remember our abundant blessings, even in the midst of trouble and despair.  

Chapter 12, Page 16, Book 15

Who among us has not come home, singing, when the streets were almost impassable with snow, or met a friend with a happy, smiling face, in the midst of a pouring rain? The soul, too, has its own hours of Winter and Spring. 

Myrtle Reed McCullough, Old Rose and Silver

December 16th - love is a two way street

Never forget that anticipation is an important part of life. … You’re cheating yourself if you refuse to enjoy what’s coming. 

 Nicholas Sparks

I  believe that loving kindness is a two way street. If someone is kind to you, you should return the favor by being kind to them.  When you are complimented return the favor by maybe giving them a compliment, or just saying thank you, it will prove to help you out in the long run. And it will keep the street that is kindness running both ways.

The same principal applies in life.  It’s important to take a note of all the good things that will happen between now and Christmas. Think of what you have to look forward to even just today.

Before the ice is in the pools, 

Before the skaters go,
Or any cheek at nightfall 

Is tarnished by the snow,

Before the fields have finished,

 Before the Christmas tree,
Wonder upon wonder

 Will arrive to me!

Emily Dickenson

May we approach each day with joyful expectation that wonder upon wonder will arrive to us this Advent.

The pictures today were taken one year the day after Thanksgiving.  Snow is usually on the ground this time of year, but thankfully there is not any here yet.  It can be pretty to look at.

The stars are the street lights of eternity. 

Author Unknown

Chapter 12, Page 15, Book 15

Try and trust will move mountains.

Proverb

December 15th - from the mountain heights

During Advent we are invited to go deeper into the place where we come to know that only God can give us joy beyond all understanding. To climb to those heights, we have to pay attention to where we are going, as well as to where we do not want to go.

Advent has always been an intentional time of preparation, of expectantly waiting for the experience of Christmas, but I think the pressures of consumerism and our culture have largely disposed of Advent, sent it to the trash heap of items no longer wanted. Advent has largely been replaced with those things that instantly gratify.  Delayed gratification is a good thing, we know it in our bones, even when we have that yearning to take a short cut.

For every mountain there is a miracle. 

Robert H. Schuller

Advent is to climb the mountain of the Lord. If we look for a mountain of things to satisfy our restless hearts, we experience unhappiness.  We may believe the top of the mountain is in materialism or consumerism, but the joy we seek is not obtained through things. It cannot be. True joy comes from the experience of love we share with one another.

One may walk over the highest mountain one step at a time. 

John Wanamaker

This journey up the mountain is not a solitary climb by individual persons alone; it’s all of us together. At times, each of us will need to be carried by someone else, and we also will each have opportunities to carry another.  We often forget that in order to have the mountaintop experience, you have to climb the mountain. 

Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born

 by John Wesley Work, Jr.

Chapter 12, Page 14, Book 15

Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance — each beautiful, unique and too soon gone. 

Deborah Whipp

December 14th- God’s snow flakes

The Legend of the Snowflake 

Long ago...
a glittering star
led the way to a Holy Child,
And today it is said
that snowflakes
are tiny pieces of that very star
sent to lead our hearts anew
to Jesus the Light of the World

Author Unknown 

One of the fun things to do with children this time of year is to cut out snowflakes.  They say that there are no two snowflakes alike.  Each one is different from the other.

We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand, and melting like a snowflake.

Marie Ray 

We are like God's snowflakes,  each individual, each unique, each purposefully designed and carved out by it's creator.  

 The snowflake is the symbol of ephemeral beauty. Snowflakes can be a reminder to keep your eyes open and be on the lookout to beautiful things around us before they disappear.

A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together!

Author Unknown

Doing most anything is easier when done with others.  Snowflakes can also remind us of  the  power we have in togetherness. 

We have no snow at all on the ground right now, but officially winter has not yet begun.  We usually have it starting in November and ending as late as April.  I'm not complaining at all.  It will come, it always does.

No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place.

Proverb

Chapter 12, Page 13, Book 15

It is the Christmas time:
And up and down 'twixt heaven and earth,
In glorious grief and solemn mirth,
The shining angels climb.

Dinah Maria Mulock

December 13th - thankful for angels in my life

There have been angels in my life,
While they haven't arrived with a blast of trumpets
Or a rustle of wings, I've known them just the same.

They performed their acts in human guise,
Sometimes borrowing the faces of family and friends,
Sometimes in the form of a stranger lending a hand.

You have known them, too,
When just the right word was needed,
When a tiny act of kindness made a great difference.

Or perhaps you heard a voice whispering in the night of sorrow,
The words not quite clear but the meaning unmistakable:
There is hope, There is hope.

May your angels watch over you
And always keep you safe
And whisper in your ear
To banish hate and fear.

Author Unknown 

Placing angel ornaments on top of Christmas trees or on their evergreen branches is a beloved holiday tradition. Just look at the trees around you this Christmas season, and you'll see a huge variety of angels: shiny metallic angels that reflect Christmas tree lights, fabric angels that kidshave crafted with loving care, fragile glass or porcelain angels that have been passed down through generations

Angels We Have Heard on High

a traditional French carol

Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Angels played an important role in the first Christmas. Gabriel, the archangel of revelation, informed the Virgin Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ on Earth, an angel visited Joseph in a dream to tell him that he would serve as Jesus' father on Earth, and a vast amount of angels appeared in the sky over Bethlehem to announce and celebrate Jesus' birth as the world's savior.  When God really wants to make a point, expect angels to make it.  Their music never ceases. Nor will ours if we remember theirs.

Love was born at Christmas, Stars and angels gave the sign

 Christina Rossetti

Often, people place angels on the very top of their Christmas trees to symbolize the significance of the angels who appeared high above Bethlehem to joyfully announce Jesus' birth on the first Christmas. If they don't use an angel ornament as a tree topper, they usually used a star, to represent the bright star that appeared in the sky to guide people to Jesus' birthplace.

The picture above is one that I’ll always treasure and was taken quite awhile ago as these to grandchildren are now teenagers. My star and angel.

Never doubt there are angels among us.

The Bible says, Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.  Maybe an angle is with you today.

Chapter 12, Page 12, Book 15

I hold it true, whateer befall; 

I feel it, when I sorrow most;

Tis better to have loved and lost

Than never to have loved at all. 

Alfred Lord Tennyson

December 12th- learning to live, loved

There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved… 

George Sand

Stone Soup

There is a story about villagers who were starving, and a newcomer suggested that they boil water in a large pot and add a stone; a very good soup could be made.  Upon tasting it, it was determined that it might be a little better if they could only find some potatoes…some were found.  More tasting ensued… maybe add a few onions, some cabbage, and finally, some meat was found.  When everyone gave what little they had, they had a large and nourishing meal. They all ate and were satisfied.

We need only to care, and love one another enough to share.   If we learn this lesson well, we will have more than enough to satisfy us.

Giving love makes you feel loved

At times when you feel like things are out of control and look hopeless, it likely means that there hasn't been enough love applied to it. Try loving more, not less

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides

When your life is empty of human love, affection, and security, there’s a tendency to want to fill it up with some substitute, namely, stuff. And when you have little else in your life beyond that stuff, you tend to value that stuff more than someone surrounded by the truly valuable intangible stuff, namely, love.

When you feel loved you love stuff less

We need only to care, and love one another enough to share.   If we learn this lesson well, we will have more than enough to satisfy us.  The gift of Christmas is a gift that must be passed on to be enjoyed. Our enjoyment of Christmas will be proportional to the joy we bring to others through our sharing.

Be brave enough to be real.

Be curious about God’s world.

Be fully present to each moment.

Be gentle with yourself and with others.

Be filled with wonder.

Be love

And be ready for joy.