Month: December 2015

“In a time of destruction, create something.”
―Maxine Hong Kingston

What do you create?

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.
―Howard Thurman

How will you conduct the work of Christmas?

Children will instinctively gravitate toward the largest box with the shiniest wrapping. But as we age we come to realize that the best gifts often come in the smallest wrapping. Yes, jewelry, but also the things that come without wrapping at all: a night full of stars, a gentle squeeze of the hand, a moment of perfect quiet.

What gift without wrapping will you offer yourself or give to someone you love?

It’s fun to see giant Christmas trees in glorious displays. But the soul of a Christmas tree , as anyone knows who has watched the Peanuts Christmas Special, is not in its grandeur but in the love that attends it. A small tree can glow quite brightly.

What small thing, done lovingly, brightens your life?

You can honor the solstice as the longest night of the year, or as the moment when the balance shifts and the days begin to get longer. You can burn the Yule log and turn toward brighter days, or you can cherish the dark.

How do you honor the solstice?