Tis the Season

Tis the season

So here we go again. Avoiding the crowds, trying to remember addresses, sizes, likes and dislikes of those you love. Wondering if you sent out the cards, hoping you didn’t forget anyone, cursing the traffic, the inflated prices, that idiot that just took your parking space. Hmmm so this is Christmas?

What happens to us this time of year? We are so stressed and panicked, so not in the loving spirit this time of year portrays. We blame other emotions and stress on our unbalanced feelings. But is it really?

See I don’t think so. I think the stress; the imbalance is purely our own doing. We look to outside sources first this time of year because quite frankly there are many of them. But we are adept at keeping the unwanted energies out. We know how to shield, block, hide from those things we don’t like. But there is one thing you can’t hide from try as you may.

The end of the year is coming, and it’s a time of reflection. We can look outwardly at what others have done, or missed, but to look inside often times isn’t as easy. We see a homeless man standing on a corner with a sign, doesn’t matter what it says, your first thought is fear actually. That could be you if life had treated you differently, what if you didn’t get that lucky break, what if that government assistance wasn’t available, what if you weren’t whole, strong and hearty. So we give, we look back at that time when your life was on the edge, and someone lent you a hand OR we grimace, no one helped me, get over it buddy and we move on.

We are the sum total of our experiences and that is all we know. We learn and grow at our own pace, but now, the year is ending, and we didn’t get done what we think we should have. What about that relative that passed on, we should have been kinder, more available, more loving. Or that birthday we missed, the hurt that much have caused. Or that love we didn’t appreciate, took for granted, dismissed.

We are human and it seems we tend to focus on our short comings this time of year, not the smiles we shared, the love we offered. And there is a whole group of folks doing the same thing. That hurried frenzy is not the stress of the holidays; it’s the knowing we could have done better. It’s the inability to allow ourselves the right to be wrong, to make mistakes. How else can you learn?

So if you do choose to look back this time of year, look for the kindness you offered, the joy you shared, the accomplishments you made. Look at the love that has been spread around, the joke that made a sad person smile, the hand you held, the helping hand you lent. Nothing is too small, or too big. Every act of kindness or understanding helped another.

May you find peace and joy not just this time of year, but every day. It’s out there, you have but to look. Thank your Creator for every new day, every chance to start anew. Enjoy this moment right now, for what it is. Oh look that moment is gone, hoped you liked it.

~peace~
Rev. Wonder