Sharing your light

Growing up while shopping with my Dad, I knew where he was by the sound of his whistling. I couldn’t always identify the tune but I knew that he was nearby. It’s a sound that continues to give me comfort and a sense of connection.

Being mindful of energy consumption, many spaces have lights that dim when it senses that there is no movement within. This of course is difficult for some of us who don’t fidget excessively. It means that when I am concentrating (too long!) I sometimes have to leave my desk to turn the lights back on.

Our washroom space is that way too. Entering that dark space the other day, I waved my arms and bopped to some imaginary music to get the lights to turn on. I wonder what else you could do to “light up the place”? Perhaps you could cha-cha on your way inside, or tango, cartwheel or do the 'gangsta' walk.

How do you bring light to your world each day? Are you the first one in who starts up the coffee? Are you the Concierge who greets everyone with the biggest smile each morning? Do you give your fellow travellers a smile while you sing out loud while driving? Or do you cartwheel?

Thank you to the Security person who was in my parkade today. I so enjoyed listening to you whistle Amazing Grace.

Blessings to All and to All a Goodnight

In the next few days, there will be a lot happening at your local church. For those who attend regularly, the familiar will call you back. The soft light, the smell of candles, greens and flowers and the music always speak to us. 

There will also be infrequent visitors, those who will be there to honour someone who has recently left their life (“Mum would have loved this”) or because of someone who has entered it. We will step into something new and make it our own because of love. We will marvel at how our lives have melded and meshed in seamless unison.

We will pull out our traditions like tangled garland and lights and enjoy them because they are ours. We will smile in realizing the good things and weep at our memories of last Christmas, of what has sadly changed, and for what hasn’t, sadly.

We will immerse ourselves in the way “we have always done things” and relax into its comfortable arms, like a heartfelt hug that we have been waiting for all day. We will pull out old dishes and cook meals that we grew up with and once again exclaim at how wonderful they are or how we have improved them!

When the 25^th is at our doorstep, you might worship within four enclosed walls or choose to worship in wide-open spaces. But we ALL have huge wishes and tantalizing dreams even though we may hide them daily in quite efficient ways.

This Christmas, set your wishes free and let the Season be a magical time for you, never forgetting and with gratitude the amazing things that have transpired during this year.

Whoever you are and wherever you are – may you be blessed by the God you know, may you feel the calm and abundance that your heart craves, may you be surrounded by those you love and those that say they "love you more”.

I wish for you a heart that is open to all the joy and wonder of this Christmas Season.

Watch for the Time - is there Ever Enough?

Like many of my generation, we count first and spend second. We were raised by parents who worked hard to accumulate and did not have access to a credit card. Did you know that the charge card did not become well known and used in Canada until the late 1960s? Can you imagine how many dollars sat hidden under mattresses until then?

When I saw the watch that I had been coveting, on a 30% off sale, my heart started to flutter. There is nothing quite as alluring as “the hunt”, it is my feeble attempt at beating the system. Yes, darn it all, I am a rule-follower (for the most part). 

Once a deal is spotted, what happens to you? Is there a voice that says “do it!”, or like most of us is there a trail of big and little voices playing in our heads? Do you hear, “what do you need that for?”, “are you sure you can afford it?”, and sometimes most loudly “do you deserve it?” The echoes of all these voices can continue in varying volumes depending on circumstance.

Then the next phase began. Instinct one: see if my children will share the cost and give it to me for Christmas. Yes, denial to deserve raised its ugly head. Maybe sharing the guilt would make it easier, I could justify the “gift”. Instinct two: consider it my own Christmas present and wait 54 days to put it on. Procrastination, maybe by then, I would feel like I deserve it. Instinct three: (in a quiet voice but certainly getting louder over the years) Wear it, love it, enjoy it. Instinct three won out and on the weekend, that watch became mine.

In light of a month that ended with several tragic accidents that took many young lives, I ponder the passage of time. The brevity of life to do the things we truly enjoy, to share our happiness with abounding joy. My heart goes out to the families of those lost and of the persons that took those lives. No one is left unscathed, just our roles differ. For an old colleague, who died quickly but not without pain, thank you Jon, for all you gave to the world.

So today, I am wearing my new watch. I have subdued the voice that said that “ I didn’t need it”, and I have opened a sufficient number of bank statements that say “I can afford it”. 

In tribute to those who will not enjoy the luxury of time, I wear a watch that will bear witness to each moment passing.