Merry Season of light dear friends! What a journey it has been this year. In spite of it all, the holidays go on and give us time to pause, and – whether in real life or virtually – to gather and to celebrate the things we have come to cherish more dearly this year – our health, our happiness, our simple pleasures, and above all the very breath and life that live within each one of us.
No matter whether or not the holidays look anything like they have in years past, the spirit of the season remains the same. As I’ve been out and about Christmas shopping and preparing late at night after work, I’ve seen people smiling with their eyes, being kind, courteous, and generous spirited with one another. We seem happier and more appreciative to just be human and to be in line together, even six feet apart and sporting masks. We are all counting our blessings.
I’m enjoying the holidays in many creative ways, even though they’re different for me this year. When the postal delivery picks up my packages I’ve left little presents for pickup too. Just today my dear mail carrier left me the kindest thank you card in my mailbox. I baked gluten free cookies for my postal store people and they shared their source of gluten free flour with me. I shipped some yummy food to friends out of work and enjoyed knowing they’d have a good holiday meal.
I caught the FedEx guy tossing a package on my driveway and gave him a box of chocolates. The look on his face was so appreciative and happy, it nearly brought me to tears. In many ways, I feel more creative about my giving, and even more appreciative of all the amazing souls who quietly and selflessly support our lives throughout the year.
So while the world still has more than its share of challenges, we can still enjoy and celebrate the light in our own hearts and our own homes. We can be the small still lights shining bright in the most simple and organic ways. There is nothing that feels safer, healthier, happier, or more authentic than finding and feeling the love within and sharing it as your inner compass dictates. This, to me, is the true spirit of the season that can live and thrive within us all year long.
Here are a few ideas to cultivate that light within and feel the Presence and spirit of the seasons:
1. Thank & bless people who quietly support your life
Leave a note of thanks, a card, or a simple gift for delivery people, postal clerks, city service workers, and others who quietly go about their business every day keeping us going. Thank the grocery store people, the folks who take out the trash, the waiters and waitresses and cooks at your local restaurants. Thank your hairdresser, and all the people who had to give up their work temporarily and live on faith and kindness. Pray for those you might never meet, but who quietly assist us all. Post kind acknowledgments on social media. Shine a little holiday light on those who have been quiet lights for you all year long.
2. Give from your heart
The most meaningful gifts are the ones that come from the heart. My family loves the lemons I grow, pick, and ship more than anything I could buy them. I have a friend who bakes cookies for all her doctors and helpers and they just adore her. A dear one (you know who you are!) has sent me beautiful photos of light. I love making cookies, creating gift baskets, and making decorations out of found treasures. One year I made little glittery snowmen for friends with a reminder to be mindful and treasure the present. They loved them. Another year I gave a “meal a month” to friends and then delivered their dinners made with love. When you get creative about your giving, you actually receive the love you are sharing as it flows through you first.
3. Take time with the Divine
Set some time aside to connect with the Divine. Talk to God and your angels and dear ones in spirit. Share your heart, your prayers, your hopes, your fears, your dreams, and all you want with them. Thank them for their assistance all year long. Then sit, breathe, and allow yourself to receive their love.
I am writing this late at night because I decided to watch a happy holiday movie tonight, and while I was on the couch, covered in my favorite blanket, sipping cocoa with a heaping dose of whipped cream on top, I felt the angels all around me, warming my heart and celebrating the fact that at long last I was resting after a very intense year. This love is around all of us, just waiting for the moment when you rest and sit still and allow yourself to receive it.
I wish you all the most blessed and beautiful holiday no matter what you are or aren’t doing. After all, the angels remind us constantly that what we do is so much less important than the love and light with which we do it. I wish you peace, joy, and the light of the season burning brightly within.
Merry, Merry, Peace, and Joy, and so much love to you all!
Ann
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