Thursday, October 26, 2006

Christmas Is Right Around The Corner

I do not want to alarm anyone but Christmas is less than two months away. That's eight weeks, or to use my wife's method of tracking time, it's four paychecks away. It always seems that once Halloween is here (next Tuesday) the days really accelerate and the holidaze is upon us in no time. Four Thursdays from tomorrow, most of us will be sitting down to a wonderful meal surrounded by family. The next morning, credit cards in hand, Christmas shoppers will descend on the malls in a spirit of joy and panic. In spite of the panic and frenzy and financial concerns, most of us love the holidaze. In my family Christmas is a lot more fun now that we have Chloe. It's a lot more fun to watch her rip open a present than to watch her 28 year old father do the same. Somehow, in the midst of the secular observation of these holidaze, I always strive, and sometimes fail, to be mindful of the deeper significance behind these days. On some levels it's always Thanksgiving and Christmas for me as I strive to live with a grateful heart for all the blessings in my life as well as trying to be aware of all the ways God is present in the day to day experiences in my life. In the days and weeks ahead, if we all just remain calm, we will survive.

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