December 25, 2024

It seems that every year we obsess over whether we will get a white Christmas or not. Somehow, it doesn’t feel right unless we have at least a sprinkle of flakes on the ground. This year, though the snowflakes fell a few days ago, the cold has held them in place just the way they landed. The crystal clusters cling to the laurels and rhododendrons and frost the tops of the hydrangeas with little white caps. It is all so pretty, it kind of takes one’s breath away.

These quiet moments of beauty … It makes one feel happy to just be alive and be able to feel all it means to be human even as we mourn the loss of our loved ones who won’t be sharing this season with us. It is a kind of simple sadness that words cannot express. And yet it feels hopeful too because we know that they would want us to be enjoying this precious time on earth. We are blessed with our senses to behold the sparkle of sunlight on snow, the warmth of a blazing fire, the smell of fresh coffee, the laughter of friends, the strength of family, and the healing of tears.

Life is fleeting. It is always changing as we witness the younger generation become the old. Time will pass just as surely as the days swiftly fly by before our very eyes. We need not spend it in a never-ending search for more. Take time to stop and listen. The world is already in your heart.

Merry Christmas 2024