Dear friends,
The holidays this year will be different as we commit to keeping ourselves and our families healthy and safe. But we need not miss out on the good cheer and heart-warming feelings we have when we are with the ones we love. They can be generated by giving to others. What if we bought what is required to make that big Turkey dinner, and then donated it all to a family in need? Would that be a way to experience gratitude ourselves? There will be many opportunities to give this year. Rather than sit out the holidays altogether, why not participate in them by sharing our good?
Remember, everything is temporary. Everything changes, evolves, disappears. The day will come when we are mask-free and together again. Let’s not bemoan what we think is missing but act on what is real in us. That is the natural tendency to circulate, to participate in creating happiness. We are hard-wired to bless, to unite with, to facilitate good will. It is nature’s way of making sure we thrive as a species.
One year I chose a family to support through a program at my bank. I never met them but I had names and ages. The young son wanted a bicycle. I doubt that he expected to see one on Christmas morning. It gave me great pleasure to buy him a super bike that any boy would love. I could only imagine how happy he would be. I was living in Canada, far from my own family and I was alone that holiday, but it did not matter. I had a wonderful time thinking of Ramon and his new bike.
Let’s rethink what it means to have “Holy-days.” Perhaps it is an inner experience of our own wholeness. No matter what, we always have something we can share that will bring more joy into the world.
Stay tuned in,
Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com
