Christmas

It is coming fast.  Are you ready?  A few years ago, I would have said yes.  Now I am not so sure.

It seems as if Christmas arrives too soon these days.  When I was little I thought it would never come.  I searched the catalogs for things I knew I had to have.  I made hints to my parents.  I was always on my best behavior.  Really?? Well...to be truthful...most of the time.  After all I had to protect myself from my two big brothers.  A girl needs to know how to do that from an early age.

These days it seems as if Labor Day and Halloween run together.  I am putting away the beach towels and swimsuits, shorts and summer clothes one day and the next we are getting candy ready to give away to spooky ghosts and goblins.  Thanksgiving comes before I have a chance to catch my breath.  Where is that pan I always use for the turkey?  And where is  my mom's recipe for dressing?

Today I looked around my house and realized that somehow, miraculously, a tree had appeared on the table in front of my window.  It was decked out in sparkling finery.  Glowing lights, toys arranged artistically, or so I think, beneath its green boughs.  I love my tree.  It has so many things I cherish.  Sweet memories.  Cards have been written, addressed and mailed.  Gifts have been sent to loved ones far and near.  Can it be true?  Did I actually find that wonderful spirit somewhere amidst all the hub bub and hurry?  How can it be?

I know the secret.  And I will tell you what it is.  Listen carefully.  I will only tell you once.  Or twice if need be.  Well....I might even write it down so you can memorize it.

Life is short.  Take each moment and cherish it.  Time passes too quickly to waste it on minor annoyances and worries.  I must admit I don't always take my own advice. But I took the time this week to put everything else aside and make room for this important part of my life.  Christmas means so much to me.  It is not just a holiday.  It is a holy day.  A day to be honored.  A day to reflect on what it means to be a human.  Reaching out to others.  Expressing my love. 

Merry Christmas to all of you.  And peace to you and yours.  

 

December Benediction

I took a walk today as the sun began to set behind the Caney Mountains.  It has been warm the last few days.  Too warm for this time of year.  We should be wearing coats and mittens, shielding ourselves from the north wind.  After all, it is December.  The final note of the fading year.

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Christmas is fast approaching.  But then, there is this space of time between these two events.  I strolled at a leisurely pace. There was no hurry in me.

Light wind.  Fading light.  A time to not think at all.  No plans.  No urgency to make a decision.

Just time, and sky, and breeze, and silence.

It is so very quiet up here on my hill this time of year.  The birds are gone.  All the busy life around me has stopped its frantic pace.  Peacefulness.  I can almost hear the earth breathing a sigh of relief.  

I join in.  Smiling, I feel a certain connection with this eternal design.

Long before I lived here.  Long before anyone tilled this field or built this barn.  Long ago, there was a time when the wind blew gently as it does now.  I am just a part of this long history.  

December, the last month of twelve.  The other eleven are gone.  Complete.  Done.  There is no going back.  And what does December say to me? With a soft whisper, it tells the tale that no other time can repeat.  It breathes in measured cadence a blessing. A benediction. A closing note.  The final stanza of the song.  Amen, it says.  So be it, it says.  And it is enough.