A Woman's View

It's Christmas time once more! (with apologies to all you poets)

 

If Messiah fills the air waves and our arms are getting sore

    From the Christmas cards we've written, but we've still a whole lot more,

    Yet we're feeling jolly, hanging lights and holly on the door,

    The secret's out, there is no doubt, it's Christmas time once more.

 

If the family's acting funny and we're fuming just a bit

    While we're hunting for the bunting that will surely be a hit,

    Christmas shopping has us hopping, we're about to lose our wits,

    And the object that's a project has turned out to be the pits.

 

If we have no whammy bunting, only clammy hands and sighs

    'Cause we're sick of spending money. Isn't funny, isn't wise.

    So we go into a huddle, still we muddle, agonize,

    While our dreams of finding "perfect" self-destruct before our eyes.

 

If we'll pitch the lists and flowcharts, let our hearts start thinking small,

    No more reading. What we're needing won't be found within a Mall.

    All the best stuff is the real stuff. Nothing changes, after all,

    It's still love that makes gifts matter, 'spite of chattter in the hall. 

 

So at Christmas time and all the time, this wish comes from my heart,

    May great joy reign. May all your pain and all your stress depart,

    And may every day be one you say, "I cannot wait to start!"

   Then at day's end, let Christ, our friend, speak peace deep in your heart. 

 

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  --Isaiah 9:6)  (Jesus said) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  --ohn 14:17 

 

So . . . Merry Christ-mas!

Lovingly,

Lenore

    

Declare a "joy break" and refresh your heart

Most of us could use a transfusion of smiles and energy about now. So sit back, put your feet up and watch these beautiful children. You won't want to miss a move.  

Even if you've seen this before, I promise it will make you smile all over again and give you an energy lift.

 

Fifth-graders who live in the Yupik Eskimo village of Quinhagak, Alaska, pop. 555 at the 2,000 census, put this together as a school computer project, intended for other Yupik villages in the area. 

By now more than 1,200,000 people have viewed this performance of the "Hallelujah" chorus from Handel's Messiah.

Take a moment to marvel at what God can do with the work of one individual.

In 1741, George Frideric Handel considered himself something of a failure. Then he composed the entire score of Messiah over a period of 24 days. He is said to have felt God gave him the music, but he could not predict how this music would endure.

He could not have imagined that 360 years later, Eskimo children in a small Alaskan village would treat us to this creative performance accompanied by a choir singing the "Hallelujah" chorus.

Tthe teacher of this class in that small Eskimo school could not foresee anyone in any other place would ever see this video.

There's a lesson here for you and me

As  individuals and as moms and dads we cannot know what God will do with our work--or our child's work.

Handel composed many other musical works, but  only his "Hallelujah" chorus is sung and hummed all over the world. His Messiah is performed every Christmas season by choruses and choirs in huge cities and in tiny villages on every continent. At the time he could not have guessed the value of his work.

I can't help thinking of this Bible verse.

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.     --Ephesians 2:10

That verse wasn't aimed only at Handel and other famous people. It speaks to you and me, too.

Think you're on a treadmill and going nowhere?

Perhaps today you question the value of your life. Maybe you're facing your first Christmas alone after losing a loved one.

If you're a mom, your family most often notices what you do when you don't do it. Put a positive spin on that. Being taken for granted also means your family knows they can count on you.

Forget looking elsewhere to find your particular "good works." You're living with them. What's more, the family life you create, the love you pour into your days will live on in your children. Every day you are coloring their lives--and their picture of life.

Joy comes from giving ourselves fully and from knowing that what we do matters, whether we see the end result or not. God is faithful. What we do in faith will live on, one way or another.

Believe it. Let that truth put fresh energy in your tired body.

Then look again at the smiles on the faces of those Eskimo school children and sing Hallelujah! in your heart.

Someone needs us, needs our kind words, needs our encouragement. Those are gifts, too.

Now, let's enjoy this wonderful Christ-mas season of giving ourselves,

Lenore

 

What do preschoolers have to teach us about Christmas?

Here's a Q & A on the Christmas story. How would you answer these questions? 

Charming young children, unscripted answers, what's not to love? Oh sure, they were a bit fuzzy on the details. For example, I don't remember Luke chapter two telling about "the three amigos."

Still, I love their innocence and their simplicity. They have the essence of the Christmas miracle: Jesus came.

What gets into us adults that we lose that wonder? How do we get so caught up in our shopping and decorating and keeping up with our traditions that we let these things shout loudest when we hear the word, "Christmas?"

For me it's when I forget the reason for the season: Jesus. The miracle of God come to earth to live among us. I forget that God used ordinary people, Mary and Joseph, people like you and me, all to carry out His plan.

That plan is what Christmas is all about. It's about Jesus, God come to earth in human form, to be our Savior and Lord. 

When you hear the Christmas story this year, may you have the wonder of a little child. Jesus came for you.

Dear reader, I wish you and yours the JOY of Christmas, which is Jesus in your heart(s),

Lenore

For the record, although we once lived in the Portland area, I don't know any of the children in this video,  their parents or in the School.

Looking at the Christmas story through Mary's eyes

Have you ever wondered what Mary felt? We can't know. But we can imagine . . . .

It began on a day like every other day. Out of nowhere there stood before me a radiant being who said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with  you." 

I knew somehow it was an angel. But why would an angel come to me? And why would I be "highly favored?" I was young and poor and female who lived in Nazareth, the least of all the villages in Israel. 

Then I heard, "Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High ."

I could not believe my ears, so I dared to ask, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God . . . For nothing is impossible with God."

I could make no sense of this, yet I felt my heart warm within me. I trusted God, didn't I? So I said, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

Suddenly I was alone again, my heart brimming over with wonder and joy.

Then I thought of Joseph. Joseph! My precious Joseph, my betrothed. Already we were considered married, but as was the custom, we were waiting out our year of betrothal before we came together as husband and wife. What would Joseph say when he found out? He would know the child was not his. What would he do?

At that moment I felt an icy chill of fear. He could accuse me in front of the elders and have me flogged in the public square. I would live out the rest of my life in disgrace, alone. I and this child would live in disgrace.

I sat on that hard bench for a long time, praying, crying, trying to take it in. I swung from joy to sadness and back to joy, over and over again.  Finally I resolved I would trust the Lord, no matter what.

Joseph was stunned to find out I was pregnant, as any man would be. Finally he said he cared for me too much to have me flogged and disgraced. That dear, righteous man would just divorce me quietly.

Before he could speak to the authorities and make it official an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

Joseph believed! Neither of us could understand the hows and the whys, but that didn't matter. God had decided Joseph and I were to be part of his miracle in sending his son to earth. Joseph took me home, but we agreed, of course, we would not come together as husband and wife until after God's Son was born.

Just as I feared, the folk in the village whispered about the child I was carrying. The men called Joseph a fool. But he paid them no mind. He was my protector and my support. 

Close to the end of my pregnancy Emperor Caesar Augustus decreed a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Joseph and I both belonged to the line of David. So we had to go from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the city of David, Israel's greatest king. It didn't matter that I was in my ninth month and Bethlehem was about seventy miles away. We had no choice. Caesar ruled his Empire with an iron fist.

Can you imagine the discomfort of that journey? Sometimes I rode side-saddle on the donkey and sometimes I walked. Either way, I felt every jolt, every rock, every rut in the road.

Toward the end I neared the end of my strength. As I walked I held my aching belly. By the time we drew near Bethlehem I was feeling ill. Then I felt a sharp pain down low in my belly.  I knew my time to give birth was coming soon. Yet we had no place to stay.

Joseph searched the town, pounding on doors, frantically inquiring of innkeepers. There were no rooms to be had, not anywhere. At last one kind man took pity on us and told us we could stay in his stable. At least we would be in out of the cold night air and we could have a bit of privacy. He lent us a small oil lamp. We watched its light dance and flicker on the rough walls and listened to the soft sounds of the animals. And we waited.

Joseph did what he could. He spread out a garment for me and helped me lie down on it. What a relief! My swollen feet throbbed and my whole body ached.

We had only the warmth--and the smell--of the animals. Only our love for each other.

Only the waiting for God's Son to be born.

Then I felt the labor pangs begin in earnest, quickly growing stronger. I know not how long I labored, trying not to scream. Joseph stayed by my side, his eyes filling with tears as he stroked my forehead and whispered my name, over and over. I hear him still: Mary. Mary . . . .

Then I felt such an urge to push I could not resist. With one final push and a long sigh my labor was over.

The Savior, the long-awaited Messiah, was born!

I could not hold back tears of joy. I looked into my baby's face and wondered what the future might hold for this little one. Then I wrapped him in some soft cloths I had brought with me. After awhile I laid the Child on top of the fresh hay Joseph had spread in the cleanest place in that cattle barn: the manger.

We could not have imagined what would come next. A group of men who looked to be shepherds burst into the stable. They went straight to the manger and gazed down at Jesus. Then they bowed down in worship. I saw a glow on their faces . . . as if they already knew who he was. 

After awhile they told us what brought them to the manger. They were out on the hills around Bethlehem as usual, guarding their sheep against thieves and animal attack. Suddenly everything around them shone bright. They never saw anything like it. Then an angel appeared and said, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Before they could speak a word the sky filled with a great company of angels, all of them singing and praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men."

Then just as suddenly the angels were gone. The shepherds could hardly contain themselves. They said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this wonderful thing!"

So they abandoned their sheep and ran as fast as they could to find the Savior, Christ the Lord, there in that lowly manger.

Why were any of us surprised? Centuries before Jesus was born there lived a prophet of God named Isaiah. He foretold that a virgin would be with child and give birth to a son who would be called Immanuel. Immanuel means, "God with us."

I never stopped thanking God for choosing me to be part of that glorious night.

But I never got used to the fact that when God stepped into our world almost no one paid attention.

It's still true, dear friends. Jesus is God with us. Jesus came to make us right with God. All who believe in him as Lord and Savior are forgiven for every sin and will never die. When we breathe our last breath here on earth, we'll draw our next breath in Heaven, where we'll be face-to-face with Jesus. With God.

You can find the Christmas Gospel (Good News) in the Bible. The best-known account of Christ's birth is in Luke 2: 1-20. Matthew 1:18 to 2:12 tells of the angel's visit to Joseph , and also the visit of the Magi, the wise men. Isaiah's prophecy is in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter seven, verse fourteen. Read John, chapters 14 through 17 if you want to know Christ's heart of love. (The account of his death on the cross and resurrection follow.) To learn more about salvation from sin and God's forgiveness and grace in Christ, read Romans, chapter eight.

As you and I rush around getting ready for Christmas, let's hang onto the wonder and JOY!

Hugs,

Lenore

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you.

Need an injection of Christmas spirit? Find it here . . .

Around this time of year, as we look at our To Do lists, I expect some of us long for a "shot of Christmas," to get us energized.

I don't have a magic potion, but this YouTube should do the trick. You may have seen it, but if you take time once again, I promise you'll find yourself smiling by the end. 

Are you smiling?

Some of us have been hearing or singing Handel's Messiah for years, especially Hallelujah. Not so many know the story of how Handel came to write this glorious music.

Picture the scene. It is the summer of 1741, in a small house in London. Discouraged and miserably in debt, 56 year-old George Fredric Handel considered himself something of a failure. Not long before he had given what he thought of as his farewell concert. Then a friend passed on a libretto based on the life of Christ. Its writer hoped someone could write music to go with his script, all of it quoted from The King James Bible. 

Handel, a strong believer in Christ, read it through and was deeply moved. So on August 22nd, he set to work composing. After that no one saw him except the servant who faithfully brought him food, then every day removed the untouched tray.

One day the servant opened the door to find his employer with tears streaming down his face. Handel said, "I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself."

George Frederic Handel uttered those words just after completing the movement that ever after has been known around the world as the Hallelujah Chorus.

He wrote the entire work in an amazing 24 days. In that short span of time Handel not only personally inked each note of the four-part vocal score, but also the music and every instrumental part for the orchestra. (If you've sung the Messiah, you know just the choral arrangement plus piano accompaniment runs to more than 250 pages.) Whether we call it genius or divine inspiration, for more than two centuries this piece of music has been performed all over the world.

Handel died April 14, 1759, eight days after his final performance where he conducted his mansterpiece, Messiah. If you visit Westminster Abbey in London, look for his statue. He's shown holding the manuscript for the solo that opens part three of Messiah, "I know that my Redeemer liveth."

It seems to me we can draw some lessons for ourselves. At the time, Handel would have been considered elderly and people around him considered him finished. So did he. It seems he never said, "Well, I can't do that because . . ." Maybe we, too, need to set aside our labels and our familiar thinking and step out in faith. Otherwise, who knows? We might miss out on doing something great.

As for getting in the mood for Christmas, I know what I need to do. I need to take my eyes off how much I have to do and focus on what Christmas really means. The Joy-Giver is just as capable of giving meaning and joy to our work as He was back in Handel's time. Sure, our "tune" may be small, but the world around us needs to hear it. So let's smile and give thanks, then go for it!

Comments?

Here's to letting our JOY show in this most wonderful time of the year,

Lenore

 

Christmas comfort for the frazzled heart...

What's your image of how your home "should" look at Christmas?

 

 

Some people actually achieve that perfection, I guess. Otherwise they couldn't photograph it.

Most of us don't.

Sometimes that eats us up with guilt and we get frenzied, trying to do it all. Fix all the goodies. Trim every corner. Do gift wraps worthy of Martha Stewart.

That leaves us worn out, empty of real joy.

Here, from my heart to yours, is a better way, my variation on a well-known theme.

****************************

If I decorate every corner of my home with glittery baubles, strings of lights and evergreen roping, but do not show love, I am just another interior decorator.

If I stay up until 2 a.m., making fudge and baking fifteen kinds of Christmas cookies, if I fix gourmet meals that make me proud and serve them on a table fitted with burning candles and special china, but snarl at my family, I'm just another cook.

If I gather toys for tots and canned goods for food baskets, help decorate the Christmas tree at church and never pass a Salvation Army kettle without dropping in coins, even write checks to every charity, it profits me nothing. 

If I insist on a green, living Christmas tree decorated with "natural" materials instead of baubles, if I sing with the choir and loudly say, "Merry Christmas!" to one and all, but forget that Christmas is all about Christ, I am empty.

Love smiles at the child whose mom is wrapped up in her cell phone and stoops to wish a Merry Christmas to the lonely individual in the wheelchair.

Love waits patiently while the next customer and the checker chat endlessly, then smiles at the clerk.

Love does not remind her husband that the guy down the street once again out-decorated his house and yard. 

Love looks at the teenager wearing earphones and tattered jeans with eyes that take the long view and focuses on potential yet to unfold. 

Love stops to listen and hug, even when there's no time.

Love does not complain about what's missing, but thanks God for what is.

Love gives without expecting a return. Love endures.

As for styles, they will change. This year's trendy best-seller will be next year's white elephant. Human knowledge will be disputed, disproven and surpassed.  Today's new discovery will become tomorrow's joke.

Only faith, hope and love remain. But the greatest gift of all is love.

Based on 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13, the Holy Bible

 

********************************************

Maybe you read through that listing and decide you really don't know how to love. Most of us miss the mark. So let's take another look at what Christmas means: New beginnings.

Love beyond all human understanding was born that night in that Bethlehem stable. Read the story again (Luke, chapter two, in the Bible.) Let those words flow over you and comfort your spirit. Go to church and sing the Christmas songs that lift your heart.

 

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one  and only Son 

into the world that we might live through him.

~1 John 4, verse 9

 

May your heart and your home be flooded with that love, fresh and new, filled to overflowing. May you rest in this love that never fails.

Merry CHRIST-mas and much joy to you and yours!

Peace,

Lenore

 

Are you running out of steam before Christmas?

I confess. I have Christmas cards and letters still waiting to be mailed and gifts to be wrapped. (And please, could we not talk about my list of neglected everyday chores?)

If you're sharing this uncomfortable boat with me, you may be thinking, "Now if I can just get through Christmas..."

That's a trap. As soon as we do that we rob our days of the joy that comes with reading letters from friends and thinking how to please the people we love. I think it's time for a vision adjustment and a transfusion. (Sorry, I can't produce an extra five or six days...)

Pause for breath and let's drink in some energy for our spirits:

Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmas time with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don't quite know how to put our love into words.  Harlan Miller

It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.        Charles Dickens

This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ.     Frank McKibben

Take Christ out of Christmas, and December becomes the bleakest and most colorless month of the year. A. F. Wells

The Light that shines from the humble manger is strong enough to lighten our way to the end of our days. Vita-Rays 

God rest you merry, lovely readers. Let us rejoice-in-the-midst of the rubble all around us. That same Light will power our personal "energy cells," one day after another.

Question for you: What's your biggest hurdle in this wonderful Christmas time?

Lenore

I saw Santa yesterday, but...

I saw Santa yesterday, but this one didn't look like the pictures you see. First I saw his decked-out van. If I had the presence of mind to remember that my fancy-schmancy new cell phone has a camera, I could show you what I saw. This will have to do. 

Imagine a nondescript old gray work van, elaborately decorated from stem to stern with roping of fresh evergreens. The roping extended down from the roof over the hood, too, plus battery-operated Christmas lights. Small stuffed animals adorned every door handle. On top stood a figure of Santa Claus, maybe eighteen inches tall. After I parked on the other side of the row of cars and faced this marvel, I sat staring in fascination, wondering what and who...

That's when the driver walked up.

As he stuffed papers in the back pocket of his well-worn blue jeans, he smiled, then rubbed his forehead. For that moment I got a good look at the grizzled, fifty-ish man with leathery skin. He stood tall and skinny and wore an old, plaid wool shirt, jeans, a red wool cap with ear-flaps drooping and battered work boots. Then he climbed into his van, slammed the door and threw the truck in reverse. Only then did I understand he was Santa.

That's when I could see that the back of the van was crammed with toys, from top to bottom. They even peeked out from the passenger window side of the van. All I saw through his rear window was packed-in toys. Clearly, this Santa was making a delivery and sooner or later, many kids would be whooping with delight.

Then this morning's Sacramento Bee ran the story of an 82-year old Santa, a woman who watched a television show about the homeless and started knitting. Because of her talking to friends, who talked to their friends, a network of older individuals picked up their needles. Now this Santa can deliver hundreds of hand-knitted caps, scarves and to our local Loaves & Fishes.

Christmas brings out the best in all of us, doesn't it? As individuals and through our churches, we collect food and pack baskets. We reach out through countless charity organizations that bring joy to children and families. Our sensitivity radar picks up and we glimpse needs we were blind to before.

There's a special joy, I think, when we give a gift and don't identify ourselves. Part of the fun is knowing a secret. Sometimes we even hear the recipient(s) speculate about who might have done this. That's when we get to practice keeping a straight face.

Here's the question: Do you know any Santas like this? Or have you ever played this part?go

Why not share that joy with the rest of us? (Just go to "Post a Comment" and follow directions.)

In the midst of the wonderful Christmas bustle, may you feel the Light of Christmas,

Lenore

Light up someone's life for free--and warm your heart, as well

Probably you, like me, look at your December calendar and groan, wondering how you'll do all the things you want to do and go all the places you want to go. But hey, it's Christmas and miracles still happen. Somehow, amazingly, you and I will manage to do it all--or most of it--as we do every other year.

Imagine you and I were not here, sleeping in our comfortable beds, warm and toasty as we enjoy extra times of celebration with family and friends. Suppose we were hunkered down in Afghanistan or Iraq, or some other far-off place, away from the people and the life we love. Cold. Lonely. Constantly on alert, not knowing who may be planning to blow you up when your back is turned. Can you feel the chill in your bones--and maybe your heart? Can you imagine how often you pray God will preserve your life? 

That describes daily life right now for thousands of members of our Armed Forces. We pray for their safety and safe return, but I think most of us feel helpless to make even a small difference. So I have good news!

You may have heard of a wonderful project called "Let's Say Thanks." Because of the creativity and generosity of one of those "heartless" big businesses, you and I can send a greeting to a member of the military--and we don't even need to have a name and address. If you go to www.letssaythanks.com (or go to the green box at the side of this blog, which has a link) you will find a large assortment of charming postcard designs drawn by children across the United States.

First choose a design. If you don't know what to say, check the preprinted messages. Better still, write your own and add a personal touch. Your few lines of thanks and caring can mean the world to one alone and not sure what the next moment will bring. If you like, add a Bible verse and say that you pray for the recipient of your card and for our Armed Forces. Then one more click and the folks at Xerox will make sure your card is delivered to a member of the U.S. Armed Forces in locations around the world. If you need more information, click on "FAQ" at the top right corner of the website. You'll find the answers to most of your questions there. On the website you can read letters from some of the troop members who've received these cards and see whether these greetings mean anything to them. 

As easy as that you and I can send a little bit of home and bring a smile. It costs us nothing but a few moments of our time--and let's not stop with just one.

My husband and I are the proud grandparents of eight terrific young people. Two of our granddaughters, sisters, are in the Navy. One is serving her second tour with Naval Intelligence and stationed here in the States. The other is in field support with the Marines. She served one stint in Kuwait and thank God, recently returned from duty just outside Baghdad. We applaud Xerox for providing what's needed to make it possible for these bits of cheer  from home folks will be delivered to our troops. Let's hear it for Xerox!

By the way, you may not agree with having U.S. troops anywhere. As Americans each of us is entitled to our opinion. In fact, protecting that freedom is part of why our troops serve. The point is that these individuals, many of them married and with children, are far from home and alone. They are there because they believe in what the United States stands for and want to protect it...and us.

Most of us would agree that God's blessing has rested on this nation from the beginning. God works through people, both our troops and us. Here's one way you and I can bless the life of one or more members of our Armed Forces.

After all, how often do you and I get to be the sunshine in a dark place?

Happy Getting-ready-for Christmas and God bless you,

Lenore

Question: Do you have a loved one serving in the military? Please tell us about them and where they're stationed.

What shall we do with this week of "suspended animation?"

    Am I the only one who thinks this week of the year feels a bit unreal? I always have. It's not Christmas anymore ... and it's not quite time for the New Year, either. Maybe you've hit the after-Christmas sales, but even champion shoppers eventually tire of the sport--or run out of money. 

      Then what? I unearthed an old piece I've loved for years. An unknown writer offers suggestions that always keep me thinking. Although the title speaks of Christmas, I think these words are timeless, for any season.   

THIS CHRISTMAS ...

• Mend a quarrel.
• Seek out a forgotten friend.    
• Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust.     
• Write a love letter.
• Share some treasure.
• Give a soft answer.
• Encourage youth.
• Manifest your loyalty in word and deed.
• Keep a promise.
• Find the time.
• Forego a grudge.   
• Forgive an enemy.
• Listen.
• Apologize if you were wrong.
• Try to understand.
• Scorn envy.
• Examine your demands on others.
• Think first of someone else.
• Appreciate.
• Be kind; be gentle.
• Laugh a little.
• Laugh a little more.
• Deserve confidence.
• Fight malice.
• Decry complacency.
• Express your gratitude.
• Go to church.
• Welcome a stranger.
• Gladden the heart of a child.
• Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.
• Speak your love.
• Speak it again.
• Speak it still once again.

    Those last three lines say it all, don't they? Those Christmas cards you sent--and received--speak L-o-v-e.  So does that note or e-mail to (or from) someone you care about. Telephone calls, too, like the Christmas Eve treat we received from dear friends far away. They called just to say, "Merry Christmas," and tell us they love us. Then this morning an old friend surprised us with a chatty call. Just hearing all those dear voices will keep us smiling for a long time. 

     At Christmas the world around us feels more loving. That's fitting, of course, because  Christmas is all about love, as that blazing star over that humble manger reminds us. The Christ child, God come to earth, is the ultimate proof that what we read in 1 Corinthians 13 is true: Love never fails. God's love never fails.  

    Now there's a glow that lasts, through all time, through every week of every year.

    Meanwhile, let's not waste a minute of this "time between the times." Let's live!   

    If something on that list touched you, I'd love to hear about it, so I can stay on track with you lovely folks who kindly read these musings. 

    Lenore

    Your comments welcomed!