Peace. Love and Joy.

Christmas Eve. The world awaits with anticipation the Christ Child's arrival.

Peace. Love and Joy.

Angels sing on high in heavenly chorus of exaltation. Alleluia. Alleluia.

And we wait.

Stars shine brightly. Bells jingle jangle. Children's laughter fills the air. Santa Claus is coming tonight.

The secular and the sacred align. The earth moves and the flame of hope is lit in the hearts of all mankind.

Hope for an end to war. An end to strife and pain and sorrow. Hope. For prosperity and abundance. For an end to hunger. An end to poverty. For new beginnings. For holy communion of spirit and heart. For Heavenly gifts reigning from on high.

Peace. Love and Joy.

We await.

The Christ Child's arrival. For Peace. Love and Joy to descend upon us.

Breathe deep into the night. Breathe deep into the beauty and the wonder of this season of hope.
No matter our faith, be it Baha'i, Judaism, Orthodox, Islamic, nontheist or Taoism, we await the wonder and the glory of a world of Peace. Love and Joy.


Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

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My friend Maureen, over on her blog, Writing without Paper, posted a beautiful video this morning of Jan Richardson, artist, writer, spectacular human being. Inspired by medieval illuminated Books of Hours, she created a joyful Christmas story along with singer/songwriter Garrison Coles. Please take a few moments today to treat yourself to a quiet little moment where you can ground yourself in the wonder and the mystery of Christmas in An Illuminated Joy.

One of my favourite Christmas stories is Christmas in the Trenches. John McCutcheon sings his powerful song in this video below. It is a moving story of what can happen when we put down the guns of war and reach out with arms of peace. It is a true story. In a concert he was performing in Denmark, he once met survivors of this event. They came because they'd heard his song on the radio and wanted to hear the story, that none of their family believed, sung out loud. It is a story of Peace. Love and Joy appearing in the most unexpected places at the most unexpected times.




May your day be filled with the quiet joy of peace descending in a world of love.