Tis the Season....

Ho, Ho, Ho....    Merry Christmas....    Happy Holidays....  

Laughter rings out, smiles come more easily, it is indeed December once more with Christmas day right around the corner.  All around people are bustling, children are laughing, and expectation just fills the air.

Tis the season.... for unadulterated joy!!

Take a moment to look a little closer, search a little deeper, care a little more.  In all too many people, beneath the bubbly surface, lurking in the depths of their eyes, is very real sorrow.

For some, there is loneliness, tragedy, loss and for others there is that "something" that is missing....that emptiness that can't seemed to be filled.  Indeed, tis the season.

Amongst all the holiday bustle, shopping rush, appointments, parties, and get togethers, it is all too easy to miss the sorrow that lies just below the surface.
Families that have been torn apart through divorce.....
Families that have lost a loved one....
Families that are separated by distance, jobs, and even war.....
Friends that are parted and can't get together.....
Sons that have been pulled away from their parents....
Daughters who just can't make it home.....
Husbands who cannot hold their wives close....
Wives who cannot fall asleep with their head on their husbands shoulders....
Mothers and Fathers who are fighting for the mental/physical health of their children....
People who are alone in the world with no one....
People who have no jobs, no money, no shelter, no food....
Women who are pregnant and alone....
Men who are battling addictions....
Teens that feel their world has been shattered.....

Tis the season....

As you go about your day this holiday season - pause.  Pause a moment to really look and listen to the person in front of you.  Share with them the warmth of your smile, the kindness of a hello, and the most wonderful gift of all.... a gift that money cannot buy.  Give them the gift of your time.  When you stop the activity, halt the bustle, and calm your thoughts and place all attention on them for that moment in time.

You see, time is the most precious gift we can give to anyone.  It cannot be retrieved, stored, or saved for later.  Time must be redeemed in the here and now.

So today, let us each be busy giving gifts of our time in all that the day brings us.

Christmas morning I will meet you here, coffee in hand, to share with you my gift for each of you this special day.

Be blessed my dear friends.... today, tomorrow, and in all the days to come.