Christmas Eve

                                                            Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                            everyday is a journey.



O worship the King,
 all glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love;
Our Shield and Defender, 
the ancient of days,
Pavilioned in splendor,
 and girded with praise.

Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air,
 it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills,
 it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

--Robert Grant.

It's snowing! It began early this morning, a light dusting of a snow covering everything. Not exactly the heavy blizzard type I wanted, but I'll take this. Emily thinks I'm ungrateful and she's right. I never thought I would say this, but I miss the snowfalls of the past. I miss seeing the branches of trees and shrubbery heavily laden with snow.

As we listened to today's sermon at Church, I couldn't help, but feel emotional. I don't care how busy you have been all month, when it comes to Christmas, you will feel. No other Holiday stirs so much emotion as this one. There is something so real and intimate, almost a longing, about a little baby lying in the manger. We want to feel like we're loved. We want to be around people who care about us. We want a family. For many people out there, this must be the loneliest Holiday ever. 

I never thought about feelings or people during this time when I was young. Christmas time meant traditions and rituals in my family. Take Christmas Eve, for instance. We have this old wives tale or tradition in Poland where we believe how our Eve goes, that's how our year would go. We would wake up early on purpose so we would be on time all year long. We would wash our faces with coins mixed in with our water so it would be a good financial year. Under every plate for dinner, there would be a quarter for luck. There were these wafers we would share with our visitors, breaking off a piece as we wished them good tidings for the year. 

Now, I could blame all this selfishness I experienced as a youngster on my not having a relationship with Christ, but I think it's something more than that. I think that we as young people think we have the rest of our lives for everything and everyone. Right now, it's all about me. Let's be honest, that's exactly how we think when we are young. We all have done that. What we don't realize is how fast life goes. It's literally a blink. Suddenly, we're here. 

Suddenly, it's Christmas twenty years later and we're sitting here alone. Ashamed. Angry. Lonely. Unloved. How did we get here? We're on the outside watching the person we wish we could be living, celebrating Christmas with their families. How do we get on the inside? We extend our hand in peace and walk inside. You see that baby lying in the manger offers hope. He's extending His hand in peace. So take it and live.

Have a blessed day everyone.

P.S.
The Gratitude Challenge;
I am so grateful that our Lord gave me that snow I've been looking for as a Christmas present.