Tag: Christmas

Enjoying the stillness of Christmas.

 

Being quiet.  Hearing the sounds of Christmas morning.

Coffee brewing.  Eggs sizzling.  Maybe snow falling. Laughter.  Shrieks of happiness, or tears of bittersweet moments.

Going inside and letting our spirit have the day off…no worries, no daytimers, no sense of urgency.

Not always possible, but a goal to try to reach.

Cardinal in the Snow

 

Can we do it?  Really turn the noise of our lives off for one day, even just one morning?

I’m sure going to try.  Because I really believe if I don’t do this, I’m not refiling the tank I need to run on most of the time.

I like to repeat some traditions that make me think of those who are no longer on this planet.  And I like to do a few new things, just to keep the day fresh.  It’s a time when being over 50 is a good thing, because I think every year that goes by I can truly enjoy the day more without getting too caught up in gifts, price tags, and so on.

I know there are many who dread this day.  They’ve lost someone. They’ve lost their incomes and homes.  They have lost hope.  Their pain is real, and if they really believe everyone else is joyful, it’s even harder.

I’ve had a few Christmases filled with heartbreak.  Yet I remain stubbornly convinced if I look for it, I can find a miracle in Christmas that can lift me out of any dark hole.

Wherever you are in your life, I hope your day is one filled with peace and hope.  Merry Christmas!

“This is the message of Christmas:  we are never alone.”

           Taylor Caldwell

 

what are you waiting for?

It’s Advent.  A season of waiting, of hope, of  learning patience for all the wonderful  things that could be.  That’s not something many of us really understand easily, in this age of right now,  right here, right away.  We’re so sure we know what is around the corner, so why doesn’t it just get here already?

But what if  we acknowledge that we truly do not know what is ahead…and let that be okay?  We might find a real peace in giving up control (like we had it anyway) and just letting life be.

You’d think as boomers, having gone through so many things in our life—most of it unexpected—we’d be used to the idea that  we often have no clue.  We make our plans, we  deliver our list to our higher power, and then we wait for it all to come true.

Surely Santa will find us, even if we don’t have a chimney.

And then Christmas morning comes, and it’s not  under  the  tree.  The new job.  The perfect marriage. The wonderful house.  The dream we’ve been keeping in our hearts for a lifetime.  Why?  What did we do wrong?

Why can’t we have what we want, and right now?

Or…maybe we did get it.

That new job…what you really wanted was to feel competent and respected.  Look around:  there  are probably many people who consider you a mentor. You’re smart.  Successful.  Own it!

The perfect marriage...would that be Ozzie and Harriet or Father Knows Best?  Those are television shows.  Reality is a bit tougher.  And maybe  just taking a look at photos of you and your spouse from the early years might  remind you why you fell in love.  He/she is still  there, sitting right across from you every morning.

That wonderful house...it’s okay to want a sparkling new kitchen or a wonderful deck for entertaining.  Maybe just making some easy changes would make things feel new, like new paint or rug or outdoor furniture.  Like they say, if you want it, picture it…you never know.

That dream….this is where it gets trickier. You always wanted to live in the mountains. Or you’ve pictured the farm in the country with cats, dogs, horses and more. Or you haven’t been to Europe and you’re starting to wonder if you’ll  make it.  Maybe what’s really tugging at your heart is something else—a need to explore.  To take a risk.  To do something a bit frivolous and throw caution to the wind.

Do it. Right now.  Every day.  Do something unexpected.  Even a little crazy.  It might take you just a few steps closer to doing the big thing you’ve always wanted to do.

In “Things That Join The Sea and The Sky,” author Mark Nepo says:

“At the end of all we want, we’re meant to glow. So long and want and dream till you exhaust your heart’s desire.  We learn so much from longing, and wanting, and dreaming.  Mostly, that they are not the mansions we dream of living in, but the wood that keeps our fire going.”

I have to believe we get what we need, and, if we ask, we do get what we want….but it might not even be something we realize we want. Sometimes it feels like it takes forever. Remember being a child on Christmas Eve?

It’s a season of joy…it’s coming, but it’s also here, within us, even if we have to hunt for it.  Let’s not give up.

 

“Let’s approach Christmas with an expectant hush, rather than a last-minute rush.”

Anonymous

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A boomer’s Christmas List.

Cardinal in the Snow

 

What this boomer would like for Christmas:

  1. To sleep uninterrupted for 8 hours. (I think I did it when I was a teenager, but I can’t remember. )
  2. To be able to open a website without popups asking me if I want to subscribe, give money, or join.
  3. To be able to open a bag of chips without a flame thrower and an axe.
  4. To be able to pass on some well-earned advice about situations that, when you are young, you think will be the toughest things you will ever face. (not)
  5. To eat a few certain cherished cheat foods and not pay the price.
  6. To never see another commercial for Progressive Insurance, Geico Insurance, or Sonic again.
  7. To  walk by a running creek every day.
  8. To understand why so many people are so filled with fear and hate of people who are different from them.
  9. A muzzle for Donald Trump (see above).
  10. To be able to get up from the couch without groaning.
  11. To play tennis with my father again and watch my mother cook dinner again. (And eat it all.)
  12. To write a novel that changes someone’s life…and is published the old-fashioned, authentic, sweat and tears way (agent, publisher).
  13. To sit down to dinner knowing other people have enough to eat and a warm, dry place to sleep.
  14. A cable channel that shows nothing but the Marx Brothers, Harold Lloyd movies, and reruns of Captain Kangaroo.
  15. Good feet.
  16. A promise that when I go to Heaven, I can go trout fishing with Cory Wells.
  17. To be able to visit The Blues Museum in Memphis much more often and listen to recordings of the greats.
  18. To take my dog for a walk without forgetting something (the leash, plastic bags, keys, water, the dog).
  19. Peace, good health, and hope for all my friends and loved ones, without forgetting that everyone deserves that—regardless of race or religion.
  20. To always remember how blessed I am.
  21. My mother’s macaroni and cheese (see #11).

ribbons_bowTo you and yours, a peaceful, safe, and happy Christmas.

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”

      Norman Vincent Peale

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