December

It's December. A chill is in the air. Christmas lights are on people's houses and the occasional lit Christmas tree can be seen through the curtains in people's living rooms. Now is the time for reflection, outreach and gratitude.

Reflection: There are people everywhere bustling to the stores trying to make Christmas a special time by buying the ultimate gifts and yet their bodies are full of financial and emotional stresses that no amount of buying will cure. They crave the appreciation of the ones their gifts are for and fear that if they do not get the ideal gift, Christmas won't be quite right to those they love.

Outreach: The food banks in our area are low on food. The schools have contests on which class brings in the most non-perishable foods; the kids' hockey teams do the same; some entertainment venues offer free admission with donations of food. Baskets are set up in grocery stores. There are trees waiting for angels to decorate them that signify someone has donated a gift. The appearance of abundance at Christmas is paramount to our Canadian culture. Everyone must have a joyous Christmas where they eat well and receive gifts. In this way we all can enjoy and attempt to spread what people still talk about as being the spirit of Christmas.

Gratitude: Life is good. Even when life is not good, there must be something we can cling to that is good. When life is hard we must focus on those things we do have. At Christmas it may be family. It may be friends. It may be a cozy place to live. It may be the spirit of giving. It may even be what I believe it is intended to be; gratitude for salvation of the spirit and a life after this one has passed and gratitude for a God who loves us still.

Have a happy December!