Vignette #3 of 3
What a nice way to say farewell to a year that is ending: with celebration! Regardless of our faiths, or lack of any, the year is rendering its last few gasps. In a very short time, it will be gone.
This is a delightful period! Phone calls, emails, and unexpected visits come from friends old and new. Memories surface of times throughout a long life, bringing tears and joy. Our present life shoe-horns its way into line, claiming a place in the celebratory season.
This is a valuable, nay, an imperative call. We must learn to recognize all that is good, hopeful, and precious in life. If this is our starting point, we will be standing on a firm foundation to view and acknowledge life’s realities.
Remember the nativity scene? It depicts the joy, love, and wonder surrounding the birth of a baby in a stable. Couple that with the real background of a cruel and heartless Roman occupation force. The whole scene changes.
As it was so long ago, so it is now in our modern times. There is so much to rejoice about, especially if we remember how much remains to be done.
Let the bells ring in the blessings of this Season for one and all.
Thank you, Marjorie. Your good wishes and Christmas thoughts travel with us. We leave for St John’s this morning. It’s -26 in Calgary, but warmer in Newfoundland. Blue sky is appearing here now. It will be a good Christmas.
Eveline and Bruce and all – Thanks for the comments, and may the Season be all you wish.
Too often, I am tempted to follow Dylan Thomas’s example, and to “rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Thank you for being an optimist, and putting the infinitude of wrongs into perspective.
Merry Christmas, Marjorie.
Jim Taylor
Jim – I certainly understand Dylan’s reaction, and think we all have that reaction many, many times. However, one cannot escape the fact that the coin has two sides, almost always! The frustrating factor (for me) is figuring out what, if anything, I can do to thwart what seems to me to be the wrong. Challenging, isn’t it? That aside for the present – a very Merry Christmas to you.
Marjorie,
Thank you for the wonderful thoughts for the end of the year. As always you are an inspiration to everyone. I wish you the very best in the coming year.
Norma
Norma – So very good to hear from you. Thank you for your supporting comments about the last blog. We have a deep need for the joy and warmth of this season. I feel that is good. It helps us to remember the needs of the world, too. May 2014 be a stellar year!
Marjorie, thank you for your insights, which I enjoy . May your Christmas be joyous and loving.
Merry Christmas! Perhaps “opinions” is closer than “insights,” Morag! However, thank you for your interest. Life is complicated and interesting in whatever portion of the road you are traveling. Have a great 2014.
Thank you, Marjorie. It is so good to hear from you. I enjoy your messages at this time of year. Irene and I are doing well on the Island staying warm by the fire and walking the dog each day.
Hi Bob – Merry Christmas to you and Irene. Glad you enjoyed the blog – it is a good time of the year to celebrate and reflect, is it not?
I loved your Christmas message. 2013 has been a year of awesome adventures, some little and others fairly grand. We are blessed with great family and fabulous friends.
Brenda -Glad to get your comments on the Christmas blog. These “holy” days are important, in any faith don’t you think? Even to argue against some traditions, it means you have had to think about why you feel that way! A little introspection never hurts!
“We must learn to recognize all that is good, hopeful, and precious in life. If this is our starting point, we will be standing on a firm foundation to view and acknowledge life’s realities.” Sometimes, I have felt my privileged awareness of goodness is a burden; but you remind me that my strength for facing harsh realities flows from having been loved. Hope and faith are rooted in that knowledge of human love that grows to experience Divine Love. Thank you! And a blessed New Year!
Laurna
Yes, Laurna, a “Pollyanna” approach to life denies the realities with which we live, and ill prepares us to handle what we meet. Let’s greet the New Year with hope and excitement.