Christmas eve. A day and night of anticipation. We may not all be waiting for the same thing, but most of us are waiting. Some are waiting for the excitement of tomorrow and some for the relief that it has arrived. In my youth I always attended the Christmas Eve candlelight service. After joining the Navy and moving away from home I no longer went. There are reasons and excuses galore for that and it is not necessary to try to explain. With the nostalgia that comes with Christmas I will always remember those services, those services took place at home. Home is the center of the holiday isn't it ? Why was Joseph in Bethlehem for the birth ? It was his home. ?
"I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams" speaks to us all. We all go "home" for Christmas.
I have a tradition I learned at home. Some of you have read about this in past blogs. It is a tradition of listening to the Christmas tree. I do that every year. It is not necessarily done on Christmas eve but rather when the time presents itself. I have to be receptive to it. It is not a time for me to speak but a time to listen. The Christmas tree has spoken to me of many things, things of the past. The tree always does that, it evokes those memories of the past and points out the lessons I should have learned. It is a sort of year in review type thing, only it reveiws my life. Within the branches of that tree memory lives. There are also things in those branches that need to be shaken out. That can be an uncomfortable thing, but I feel a necessary one. It is not a healthy thing to hide your mistakes in the past. They should be exposed to the light and what better time than Christmas ? There is certainly light ! It is also the time of birth and rebirth. That is the message of Jesus. He was born so that we might all be born again. If we shake out those mistakes of the past, expose them to the light and learn from them, we can redeem ourselves. That is the promise of Christmas. That is what the real anticipation should be about. A chance to begin again, to get it right. To be reborn.
I have learned to be grateful for each year. Each year is a gift in itself. That I was given another year in which to " get it right " is a precious gift indeed. We often think of years as good and bad. That is only as compared to our expectations. That is where we go astray. We should be more concerned with the needs of others and how their years have gone. Our lives should be an ongoing gift to others, the gift of compassion and understanding. Does it not say, " it is more blessed to give than to receive ? " And so I will listen to my Christmas tree. My wish is that it tells me I have done well this year. Hopefully not too much needs to be shaken out. I'm a little anxious about it. Anticipation and expectation. One predicts an event and the other your vision of the event. Disappointment comes with expectation and happiness with anticipation. I can't wait for Christmas !
"I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams" speaks to us all. We all go "home" for Christmas.
I have a tradition I learned at home. Some of you have read about this in past blogs. It is a tradition of listening to the Christmas tree. I do that every year. It is not necessarily done on Christmas eve but rather when the time presents itself. I have to be receptive to it. It is not a time for me to speak but a time to listen. The Christmas tree has spoken to me of many things, things of the past. The tree always does that, it evokes those memories of the past and points out the lessons I should have learned. It is a sort of year in review type thing, only it reveiws my life. Within the branches of that tree memory lives. There are also things in those branches that need to be shaken out. That can be an uncomfortable thing, but I feel a necessary one. It is not a healthy thing to hide your mistakes in the past. They should be exposed to the light and what better time than Christmas ? There is certainly light ! It is also the time of birth and rebirth. That is the message of Jesus. He was born so that we might all be born again. If we shake out those mistakes of the past, expose them to the light and learn from them, we can redeem ourselves. That is the promise of Christmas. That is what the real anticipation should be about. A chance to begin again, to get it right. To be reborn.
I have learned to be grateful for each year. Each year is a gift in itself. That I was given another year in which to " get it right " is a precious gift indeed. We often think of years as good and bad. That is only as compared to our expectations. That is where we go astray. We should be more concerned with the needs of others and how their years have gone. Our lives should be an ongoing gift to others, the gift of compassion and understanding. Does it not say, " it is more blessed to give than to receive ? " And so I will listen to my Christmas tree. My wish is that it tells me I have done well this year. Hopefully not too much needs to be shaken out. I'm a little anxious about it. Anticipation and expectation. One predicts an event and the other your vision of the event. Disappointment comes with expectation and happiness with anticipation. I can't wait for Christmas !
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