I love this time of year, and not just because I live in Florida and the winter season usually carries relief from the sweltering heat which accompanies most of the year. I love it for the extra sparkle and light which seems to cover everything from the houses on our block to the light poles downtown. I also love it for the sparkle and light that accompanies the souls of my fellow human beings as they carefully choose special gifts for loves ones and give what they can to people who need a little (or a lot) of help this holiday season. Maybe it's my imagination, but I've noticed that the people around me this year seem a bit more willing to donate food, clothing, time- whatever they can to assist someone else who is spending the end of the year in a state of need. It's not a difficult thing to donate food and/clothing. There are dropoffs all over the place for both- our YMCA is sponsoring a food drive, our homeschool group collected food to donate at our Christmas party, and the local UU Church has an ongoing food drive to help our local community. Publix has food donation tickets that one may purchase to help benefit the hungry, Toys for Tots held it's annual toy run last weekend, and Calvary Chapel encouraged people to fill a shoebox with gifts for donation. I have observed people engaged in such acts of kindness this year, and it reminds me that I have so many gifts in my life that I have not earned. So many blessings fill my everyday, and I'm grateful for them all. I consider this and realize how much recognizing the gratitude in my heart makes me want to share the joy of the season with others. In sharing, the joy multiplies. Plus, I feel it's important to teach our child that giving of ourselves is vitally important when it comes to the health of our society, and to us as spiritual beings. In giving, my own gratitude is made larger and my pride shrunken. I'm humbled by the realization that I should be living in this giving spirit year-round. It shouldn't take a holiday to remind me. I know what one of my new year's goals is going to be in 2012.
The symbolism of the winter holidays are a bit different depending upon one's faith. For some, the lights of the menorah remind us that we should be ever increasing the light we bring into the world. For others it means the birthday of the Son, who came to bring peace, deliverance and light to a broken world in desperate need of grace. For some, it means the re-emergence of the sun, as the winter solstice arrives in the year's turning and our days slowly begin to lengthen. I hope that whatever you celebrate, you'll be sure to lend your light to the dark places which need illumination. And I hope you'll enjoy much sparkle and joy yourselves as another year moves toward closing and a new year is birthed.
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