So this is Christmas
Over 2000 years ago, a mother and father huddled together in a tiny stable and witnessed the birth of their child. The story of the Christ child’s birth has lived throughout the years. It touches all our hearts, Christian and non-Christian, believer and non-believer. No matter if we believe He came to earth to ‘save our souls from Satan’s power’, or if he was simply a powerful prophet, or just a great man whose story has survived the ages, His birth represents the power of love to create peace in the world. The celebration of His birth every Dec 25 restores our spirits as we celebrate the miracle of life.
Christmas is a time to celebrate. To rejoice. To be joyful. A time when we are connected in love to the miracle of one child’s birth long ago that reminds us, every year, that we too are miracles of life inspired by the act of love that ignites our journey of life – in all its limitless possibilities.
Last night, as I wrapped presents and reflected on the meaning of Christmas, my spirit lifted. Sitting in my cozy living room, surrounded by twinkling lights and festive bows and crinkly wrapping paper, I felt connected to the millions of other parents, grandparents, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, friends and lovers who wrapped and taped and lovingly placed gifts beneath a twinkling tree – a tree that we had decorated together with those we love as we shared in the joy of hanging each ornament, old and new, upon its fragrant boughs.
As I wrapped and hummed a Christmas melody (and sipped a glass of cheer!), I felt the power of Christmas surround me. As I placed a pretty bow upon each gift I thought about the person to whom I was giving and my heart was filled with love. In that love lay the true meaning of Christmas. It wasn’t in the gifts, or the giving. It didn’t lay in colourful disarray piled beneath the tree, but in the love that filled my heart as I thought about my daughters, family and friends whom I love so dearly and who mean the world to me and who create such meaning in my world.
What a miracle Christmas is! Over 2000 years ago a child was born and from His birth has grown this night where the world stops, and takes a collective breath as we join in a song of love, faith, hope and joy. 2000 years ago a child’s birth gave birth to my evening last night where I was touched by the power of that birth long ago.
I took a deep breath and felt my heart expand in love. In that breath, I was connected by the circle of love into which I was born and which encircled my daughters as I embraced the miracle of their lives changing my life. For just as the Christchild was a gift of love for his parents, and ultimately the world, with my daughters’ births I was given the greatest gift of all — the awesome reminder that life is a miracle and each birth a precious gift of love; powerful, enduring, everlasting.
This Christmas, as I reflect upon my life, I am reminded, once again, of the power of love to heal, to make peace and to create miracles.
And that is the true meaning of Christmas for me. A celebration of birth, of life, of love. A healing. An awakening. A miracle that wraps us all in a never-ending circle of love.
It is a miracle that unfolds everyday at the DI. Lives changing. Evolving. Moving on. The miracles appear in a touch on the shoulder of an old man reminding him he is not alone. A kind word to a young woman whose mother won’t take her calls. A plate of food served with a smile, touching the heart of the one who receives the bounty of this place. A band-aid gently applied to a cut knee. A jacket carefully wrapped around bent shoulders. A handshake. A hand up. A hand out. A hand. Open. Giving and receiving.
These are the things that happen everyday at the DI. These are the things we do, singularly and collectively, to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve. These are the things that matter.
Whatever your celebration — Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Bodiday, the Fast of Ramadan, the ancient Sabbath - or a family-centered gathering, a Blessed Holiday to each and everyone of you. May your spirits be light, your hearts full of love and may your world be filled with the limitless possibilities of the miracle of your life as you live each moment, filled with love, gratitude and joy.
This is my last Christmas at the DI. After five plus years of being part of the amazing team here I am moving on. It has been an honour and a privilege to have spent this time here. In being here, I have grown. I have been moved and I have learned the true meaning of compassion, kindness, caring and hope.
Thank you everyone for all you do and for all you give to make this place the most amazing place it is. Thank you for having made me feel so welcome, for giving me a place to belong, for being part of my story. You are amazing.
Merry Christmas everyone and may 2012 be a year of Peace. Hope. Love and Joy in your world.
