Christmas Gratitude in the Memories
Well, this is our Christmas 2020. It’s been a difficult year and a difficult week, as I try to recreate the Christmas Gratitude of the years now gone by. This will be the first Christmas in 49 years that I have not spent with my sons and their families. The house is quiet, and yet it nearly screams for the chaos of Christmas Past.
The Christmas Gratitude playing the strings of my heartbeat this year is grounded in the fact that Covid has not hit my immediate family. And yet, it has exacted a terrible toll on friends throughout the world.
While we remain alone this year, our feelings of Christmas Gratitude for each and every one of you are grounded in the knowledge that the majority of us are attempting to make a difference in the spread of this ugly blight that has destroyed so much in our lives this past year.
Embrace the Past and Create Great Expectations for the Future
As I write my Christmas message on the shortest day of the year, the sun is already nearly beyond the horizon. December 21 is not only the Winter Solstice, but it is also the day of the Great Conjunction. That is when Jupiter and Saturn overlap to provide us a glimpse of the Christmas Star. It has been 800 years since men on Earth have been able to experience the Miracle of the Christmas Star.
It was supposed to be clear tonight. Sadly, the snow began around three o’clock and the skies are still cloudy, so it doesn’t appear I will have the opportunity to view this great wonder. Somehow, it seems a fitting end to a year filled with disappointment and separation from friends and family. I believe there will be other miracles in the future. So, I can only sigh and continue to believe in a future for us all which will resemble more closely the days we cherish from past Christmas celebrations.
This year, we are in the middle of a crisis. I have no desire to take the risk it would require to be with my family in person this year. We have experienced the greatest failure in leadership I have known in my lifetime. For that, I grieve for all those we lost or who struggle to regain the health they once enjoyed.
Look Up and Celebrate Christmas Gratitude Throughout the Year
This is a time to celebrate the birth of the Christ child and the promise of a future not devoid of challenges, but with a potential to bring us all those things we cherish.
Remember the Christmas dreams you had for the future.
Hold tight to the memories of those you loved who are no longer with us.
Celebrate the blessings you have and share with those you love.
Embrace everything that has lifted you up.
Pick up the phone and let someone know how much you love them.
Reach out to someone who struggles to make it through each day.
Christmas Gratitude lives in your heart. It has never been in all the presents and trappings of the season.
