Christmas


Merry Christmas to all! I hope that today was a good one for all. I had a quiet day: I joined my niece and nephew by video for gift unwrapping; spoke with my father and siblings; talked with other family and friends and ate the turkey dinner Don made. Jerry had a lovely time with his new toy (Note: there is no toy that will resist the chewing of Jerry) Don was happy with the day too, and is now watching a sport game-is there any day free of heavily commercialized teams chasing things? As you can tell, I'm not at all interested in pro sports (or the Olympics or World Cup...) but he'll watch almost any team sport. I just need to get him hooked on cricket now...

I love Christmas, the whole Christmas season-contrary to the Grinch! The only thing I was unable to do today was attend Mass in person. I did, though. share in the vigil (Christmas Eve) mass via livestream, and the Christmas Day mass on TV today. I love the Nativity narratives of St. Matthew and St. Luke, and over the years I've meditated on them. This year, the homily spoke about the "sacred hidden in the ordinary." It's a beautiful idea-that in the everyday is also awe-inspiring wonder. We've all experienced that, I'm sure. Think about a time when you were rushing around doing errands and you got a glimpse of a flower growing in a crack in the sidewalk. Or you looked up and were struck by the blue of the sky. I think of one office that I had which had a window overlooking the river and from which I could see a winter's sunset. After a week or so, I stopped seeing the view, and it just became mundane. Then I had a visitor who was transfixed by an icy, firey sunset over a frozen wonderland, and we shared that moment of seeing the extraordinary in the everyday. Today I spent some time considering how often we blind ourselves to the beauty around us and spend so much trying to find something awesome. Perhaps if we-sorry for being cliché- took a moment to smell the flowers, we'd better appreciate life, the universe and everything?

A friend of mine has a talent for seeing moments of wonder, and takes photos that can be thought-provoking. I often admire the perspectives and imagery, as he might take a photo of a flower blowing in the breeze with the light caught through a petal, just as an example. He'd sent some pictures of icicles hanging off the eaves, and I replied that his insulation might need checking... he then told me that the icicles were on his mailbox... I felt so dumb! He then sent a picture further back, so I could see more... I've resolved to look more carefully in future. But it still underscores my point. We can become so focussed on a task that we don't see what's around us, and we need to learn to see the beauty in which we live.

Tonight's moment of wonder is the joy of watching a small dog playing. There was a study which concluded that having a dog led to lower blood pressure and reduced stress, and I'm inclined to believe that! Even when he's being stubborn, the tiny dictator is so loving and protective... To everyone. I wish you a joyful Christmas season, and may you always find happiness, love and laughter wherever you are. Good night!


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