Christmas Reflections
Merry Christmas from our family to yours. There were so many smiles today. So many grateful looks exchanged and moments of joy shared. The paper and ribbons are now crushed and cast aside, but the joy is not. Advent - the season of waiting, of expectation - is by its very definition a build up of excitement and anticipation. We work and plan and prepare for Christmas, and frequently experience a sense of loss once the festivities conclude. We have spent a month shaking the snow globe and when the glitter settles the mundane returns. So often we feel depressed when the revelry ends. Tonight though, I was struck by a new perspective: this day is over, but Christmas is not. Christmas is a celebration of the coming of Jesus, and that is the very promise from whence our hope comes every day. As I reflect tonight I am acutely aware of the coexistence of joy and sadness in my heart. I’m not sure I’ve ever been as cognizant of feeling them si...