Gift-giving

The big gift-giving season is upon us!!  Everywhere we turn, we are bombarded by gift suggestions. The hype for the "perfect gift" threatens to steal our attention away from the real gifts and the real reason for the season!  Real gifts are not wrapped in paper or tucked into bags.  Real gifts are your words of affirmation, your full attention, your total appreciation of that person.  Real gifts are the smiles and hugs, the patience and kindness, the love and concern you give to those around you.  Some of the best gifts I've given are poems or letters, telling others how special they are!   "People will forget what you said and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." (B.J. Wasmund). I have a couple of notes from Melissa framed, because they make me feel so loved!   Of course, the biggest gift of the season is the reason: God's gift of eternal life. God breaking into human history to hug us, hold us, grab us, and take us to heaven.  So, despite all the pressure to buy, wrap, mail, decorate and party, take time to hug, hold, and feel the love of heaven. The King of Kings has come, and we are so deeply loved, each one, every moment.  May the Prince of Peace reign in your hearts this Christmas and always-  Blessings & Peace!

Counting Our Blessings

It's a sad day in my life when Thanksgiving comes and goes and I neglect to write about that which gives our lives the most joy: gratitude!!  So let me tell you about my newest take on Thanksgiving. This year, we did a new version of going around the table and each person identifying something for which they are thankful.  This year, we focused on identifying those little things that we take for granted, but add so much comfort in our lives.  This year, we went by categories, which I had written down for myself in advance:  main dishes, desserts, beverages, things you buy in a drug store, electronics, means of transportation, entertainment, places, and a few more.  Rather than go around the table, I just asked "What's your favorite..."   We ended up with a long and happy discussion with people competing for "air time" to share their favorite thing.  We didn't even make it through all the categories.  Our lives are so amazingly rich with so many blessings, that we couldn't begin to make a dent!  I am convinced that focusing on the goodness embedded in our daily existence makes such a difference in our perspective and mood.  We need Thanksgiving all year long. So, keep counting your blessings, just as Melissa did!   Your reading this is a blessing to me! -