I love the season. The excitement. The sense of stillness that the pretty lights bring me. The beauty. I like how the lights play off of the darkness....proclaiming that no matter how dark the darkness thinks it is, a light, no matter how small...penetrates it and brings beauty. I love the excitement of the children. The near craziness of their little minds and hearts as they wonder...."will I get something great?" And I love getting to be the one that occasionally really gets it and gets the exact right thing. It feels so good to see them know that I cared enough to do it well.
It's a fun time of year music wise. Hearing people singing along in stores. Oh, wait, I think that was me. I like to smile at people, offer them "my" parking spot with a gesture and move out a little bit further in the lot. Because....maybe for some people that tiny little thing will be the highlight of their time.
I like how thankful my kids are. Easy to please and even easier to excite. They mostly love the anticipation. Though they wouldn't say so.
In the midst of all of this fun, I see so much hope. And beauty. And giving. Some people have become callous. That it's ALL about retail. It's all about whatever is in our hearts when we are doing whatever it is we are doing...shopping, shipping, baking, cleaning. It's about the Peace that came to earth, not about there being constant peace. It's about seeing what we choose to see.....the glory of giving,the joy of bringing pleasure, the happiness of seeing children...and teens...and adults...dancing around excitedly. It's about getting as wrapped up as you want to. And not being afraid to just sit and observe if that's where you are right now.
In the midst of it all, I have found that nothing I want or need is found in the outward stuff at all. But the ability to enjoy all of the outward stuff comes from what is already cultivated within. When I seek peace and joy and hope and giving and love and faith and beauty INSIDE, then it's a natural progression to be able to see it on the outside. To be able to appreciate and take in the GOOD without moaning about all of the negatives.
Sure, there's a monetary gain for businesses. But, can't that be a good too? We live in a nation that encourages free enterprise. Marketing. Making money. Changing our economic status with hard work. So, perhaps instead of groaning about the materialism, I can simply love the fact that I am giving others a chance to be employed. To make money for their businesses. It's what makes our economy work.
I guess that in the midst of it all, it's remembering to take the low, bad, negative things and shine a light on them. A light of excellence. It's learning to see with eyes that choose to see the good aspects. It's a dark time of year. Yet, in many ways the brightest. Life is like that. And how horrible the dark times are or aren't depend much on my choice of how to look at them. Theme of this last year has been, "I get to choose." It has served me well. Now, it's almost time to move on to a new year. Can't wait to see what it's theme will be!
grace to you.
It's a fun time of year music wise. Hearing people singing along in stores. Oh, wait, I think that was me. I like to smile at people, offer them "my" parking spot with a gesture and move out a little bit further in the lot. Because....maybe for some people that tiny little thing will be the highlight of their time.
I like how thankful my kids are. Easy to please and even easier to excite. They mostly love the anticipation. Though they wouldn't say so.
In the midst of all of this fun, I see so much hope. And beauty. And giving. Some people have become callous. That it's ALL about retail. It's all about whatever is in our hearts when we are doing whatever it is we are doing...shopping, shipping, baking, cleaning. It's about the Peace that came to earth, not about there being constant peace. It's about seeing what we choose to see.....the glory of giving,the joy of bringing pleasure, the happiness of seeing children...and teens...and adults...dancing around excitedly. It's about getting as wrapped up as you want to. And not being afraid to just sit and observe if that's where you are right now.
In the midst of it all, I have found that nothing I want or need is found in the outward stuff at all. But the ability to enjoy all of the outward stuff comes from what is already cultivated within. When I seek peace and joy and hope and giving and love and faith and beauty INSIDE, then it's a natural progression to be able to see it on the outside. To be able to appreciate and take in the GOOD without moaning about all of the negatives.
Sure, there's a monetary gain for businesses. But, can't that be a good too? We live in a nation that encourages free enterprise. Marketing. Making money. Changing our economic status with hard work. So, perhaps instead of groaning about the materialism, I can simply love the fact that I am giving others a chance to be employed. To make money for their businesses. It's what makes our economy work.
I guess that in the midst of it all, it's remembering to take the low, bad, negative things and shine a light on them. A light of excellence. It's learning to see with eyes that choose to see the good aspects. It's a dark time of year. Yet, in many ways the brightest. Life is like that. And how horrible the dark times are or aren't depend much on my choice of how to look at them. Theme of this last year has been, "I get to choose." It has served me well. Now, it's almost time to move on to a new year. Can't wait to see what it's theme will be!
grace to you.
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