THE HOLIDAY PEACOCK SHINES    


"The message of the Christ is unconditional love, non-judgement, forgiveness, brotherhood, peace and oneness with God. Perhaps true Christianity is more of a lifestyle than it is any one particular religion."                                   --Dennis Merritt Jones

What holiday memories from the past resonate in your mind? Going out on Christmas Eve to pick one of the last trees that was very inexpensive; ice skating with your siblings and coming home afterward for hot chocolate and popcorn; family feasting around the dining room table; feeling the happiness that came from giving and receiving; and the love that wove its way through the holidays. This year Gary and I have a Holiday Peacock sitting on our patio, and a five foot Christmas tree sitting on the half-wall of our living room.

Not everyone  had the same experience we have had, so it is very important to think of those that may not have a warm house or meal at Christmas. There may be people who find themselves alone at Christmas. Be cognizent of  neighbors, friends and relatives that might welcome an invite to a holiday dinner. Give to the foodbank or to places that give assistance to families in need. Share your blessings.

Have a happy holiday, and celebrate the diversity of faiths that find their own way to celebrate! Spirit is everywhere even if we may call it by different names.

"Some people may not believe they are spiritual, but each one of us is a pattern in the energy of God stuff. We are here to express wonderfully and fully, we are here to be the Face of God looking at the Face of God, always."

Life's Garden Grows,     --Sandra Lindsey Smith

Have a Meery Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and a Joyous Holiday! No matter how you celebrate, be safe, and know that you are loved.

Love and light,
Sandy Smith




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
 BE KIND TO YOURSELF "Things always get better. When you believe this, it becomes true. In the same way as you don't believe it doesn't get better, it doesn't get better."   Sandra Lindsey Smith, -- "Life's Garden Grows" Have you ever noticed how readily we rush to forgive other people for the minute, negative observations they say about themselves, but it is much more difficult for you to forgive yourself for the very same tiny thing you say about yourself? All the, "I AMs" that come out of our mouths are packed with the potential to show up in our lives exactly as they spring from our mouths. So, no: "I am so stupid"; "I can't get my hair to look right; or, "why do I even go in for this job interview, I can never express myself well under pressure" NO! Those are not the, "I AMs" that you want to spring from the depth of your soul. Instead, "I could have done that a different way", "
Read more
Image
  RELAX INTO THE FLOW "A good diet, refraining from excessive desires, and daily meditation all lead to peace of mind, and this peace of mind is beneficial."     Little Book of Inner Peace,    --The Dalai Lama What happens when a person is caught in a rip current in the ocean? A lifeguard would tell you to swim parallel to the shore and that would break the hold of the current. When panic sets in it is sometimes very difficult to remember that idea of relaxing enough to swim parallel to the shore. Isn't that true about the challenges that we go through in life? We get caught in the idea of events becoming more than we can handle. When it occurs to us, that  Spirit surrounds us, moves in, through, and as us, we can remember to relax into that Divine Presence, and a shift happens. It allows us to respond, rather than react to the situation. There are many times that I have been so focused on the problem, that it takes me a little time to say, "God, I could use a litt
Read more
Image
 ON THE WINGS OF DECEMBER “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” –Hamilton Wright Mabie Gary and I are back from Thanksgiving in New Mexico. This is a shot of all the people who sat around the dinner table, and then took an hour's worth of pictures (sound familiar?). Now comes the time to start getting ready for Christmas. I think the general public started getting ready for the season in October, whereas most normal families are getting ready right now. Since our place is small, we have a Christmas peacock on our patio. Indoors we have a thin but tall tree (pictures to follow in my next blog). We all have our traditions around the holidays, homemade stuffing, cornbread, cranberry sauce, yams, and some kind of meat or meatless protein (many more vegetarians than there used to be). As I go to buy groceries or shopping centers I wish people "HappyHolidays", acknowledging that we are a collective of beliefs; we may call Spirit by many
Read more