Collage of Christmas Memories...

                                             Collage of Christmas Memories...

  Now that the ambiance of Christmas day still lingers in the air, and the wrapping paper and some gifts are still strewn about the house, along with remnants of cookies and other goodies...now is the time for a bit of reflection.

  It wouldn't be Christmas without love, reflected in the presence and faces of those nearest and dearest whether near or far away.

  It wouldn't be Christmas without family, and the joyful generosity of spirit.

  It wouldn't be Christmas without prayerful reflection on the gift of life, and the meaning behind the season.

  It wouldn't be Christmas without snow, but pictures of snow will have to do.

  It wouldn't be Christmas without the sending and receiving of cards and letters from friends, relatives and old college roommates.

  It wouldn't be Christmas without cutout, mincemeat and cream cheese cookies.

  It wouldn't be Christmas without creating memories through conversation, playing card games and going to visit certain Christmas light extravaganzas.

  Yesterday Christmas arrived in full force, bringing with it much joy and gratitude. The afterglow of Christmas fills our home with love, and hopefully radiates from it to others.

  As the deeper realities of Christmas begin to permeate my thoughts anew, I am thankful that each year with the gift that Christmas is, I am forced to slow down and contemplate deeper realities that will resonate within, and hopefully manifest themselves without for the twelve months to come.

 ~Kathy~

                                

Check out my other blogs:
www.kathy-dessertmania@blogspot.com
and
www.mertonthinker@blogspot.com

Real meaning of Christmas...

                                    
                           Real meaning of Christmas...


    I was just in a human maze of unbelievable proportions! It consisted of cars and people and merchandise, and an indoor shopping mall, and there were times when I wondered if I would get out in one piece physically and mentally. I have no one to blame but myself, as I decided to shop on a day equal to or worse than black Friday...which I avoid like the plague. There were moments of frustration, exhaustion, and jubilation, all within seconds or minutes of each other, but after two hours I had to call it quits for the day. I think I may still have a few brain cells left, and perhaps an ounce of patience. How do the store clerks pull it off day after day? Bless them!

  So, here I am in my cozy home at my computer, asking myself what did I just experience, and out of all that traffic, honking, glitter, tinsel and fakery, where is an inkling of the real meaning behind the season? I have been to most of the stores these past few weeks, picking away at my shopping list, and trying to remain calm and bright. It hasn't been easy when it takes forever to find a parking space, or what you are looking for is in every size but the one you need. One clue that people are frazzled and anxious these last days before Christmas is that very few shoppers are aware of the others around them in the store, or in the parking lot. 

  In all of this, I have caught glimpses here and there of a light in all of this mess out there, and it was in the form of one person helping another. Today at the mall, among a crowd of hundreds of bustling shoppers, a man slowly pushing the wheelchair of another person, so that person could shop was a highlight for me. 
That gave me a clue to the remedy for all the merchandise madness, which is to slow down. Is all this rushing around really necessary? Is going to five more stores really going to bring the real meaning of Christmas any closer to any of us, or will it just push it farther away?

  A simple act of caring, whether it be a word, smile, letter, card or visit, will do much more to bring to life what Christmas is all about.

  Wishing each one of you reading this a very special and meaningful Christmas.

~Kathy~

Reflections on baby Mary

                                                 Reflections on baby Mary

 Forget Christmas gifts for me this year, as right now I am holding the most precious gift of all...baby Mary. No material gifts can compare to the wonders of new life. Trying to see the world through the eyes of a baby brings us back to innocence, which brings us back to the divine. Holding a baby can remedy all ills, as one is taken into a simpler, more contemplative realm. How can this mental state not be beneficial for mankind? Don't we as humans have a deep seated need for a connection to eternal realities? Holding a baby makes this connection a reality, and forces one to slow down and become a little more contemplative in the process. Truly, holding a baby is the best Christmas gift, forcing me to slow down amidst the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

~Kathy~

Grace, all grace....

                                                                Grace, all grace....



   Recently I was given a great gift. Not a material gift, but an interior gift. It came about in response to a phone call that I made to inquire about a nursing teaching position. The woman at the other end of the phone happened to be my former boss from eleven years ago. The phone call started the wheels rolling for me occupationally, but touched me at a deeper level. 

  There is some truth in the old saying that it's not what you know, but who you know. I have often discovered this saying to be true in my life. Sometimes its putting yourself in touch with the right person at the right time. More than that, it is grace, all grace.


~Kathy~