It is the season of peace. A time when the Christian world takes a collective breath and offers up a prayer of hope, love and joy. It is a time for new beginnings, renewed spirits, refreshed souls.
It is the time to celebrate all that is miraculous in being human, all that is wondrous in our world. It is the time to heal wounds, to bridge gaps, to reach across divides that separate us from those we love. It is the time for human beings to stop and take a breath. To let go of what is keeping us apart and connect to what holds us together, as family, as friends, as fellow human beings on the journey of our lifetime. It is the time to connect through our human condition to all that makes us magnificent.
I love the sights and sounds of Christmas. Twinkling lights and festive bows. Crinkly paper and mysterious boxes shimmering in the lights of a fragrant fir festooned with decorations. Tires scrunching on snow. Jingle bells ringing. Carollers singing.
I love the spirit of Christmas. The camaraderie. The fellowship. The good wishes. The warm, Merry Christmas of the shopkeeper, or Happy Holidays depending upon her political correctness, as she wraps your purchase in a brightly coloured bag. The cards that arrive in the mailbox, the unexpected emails from friends afar wishing you and yours a blessed holiday season. The phone calls, the smiles, the gifts exchanged over laughter and a tender look.
I love the smells of Christmas. Fir trees and spruce boughs. Cinnamon and apples. The cookies baking. The turkey roasting. Fragrant aromas that awaken my senses and stir my memories of Christmases past where we sat around the family table, arms linked, hearts joined in a circle of love that can never be broken no matter how far we roam from the family circle.
And, I love the feelings of Christmas. Those warm, toasty, wrapped up in a velvet blanket feelings that embrace me and nurture me. That raise my spirits and open my eyes to the wonderment of a world awakened to love, peace, and joy.
It is Christmas. A time to rejoice in a child's birth over two thousand years ago. A child who gave birth to this wondrous time of year. A time when peace on earth reigns as a possibility and goodwill amongst men a reality for families far flung across the globe as they gather together to celebrate love that cannot be broken.
This is the time to connect. To reach out. To pull in and gather round a blazing hearth and surround yourself with friends and family. A time to open hands and minds, to still quarrels and soothe aching hearts with kind gestures, gentle touch and loving words.
This is the time to commit to creating peace in your world. The time to cherish those you love and to extend a welcoming hand to those who need to find peace with where their journeys have taken them.
It is Christmas. Snow covers the ground. Boughs hang heavy. The air is crisp and clear. Within my heart a song rises up. It is a song that gives birth to the possibility of peace on earth, goodwill amongst men. It is a song we can sing together. And in our voices we can raise up the hope that the fellowship and love this time of year will live on throughout the days to come as we stand together and sing out a song of peace.
I pray for peace. I pray for fellowship amongst mankind. I pray for a world of good tidings and joy. I pray for love for each and everyone of us in a world united in peace.
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