Wednesday Reflection

“The dark is not an end, but a doorway to new beginnings.”

I seem to have lost last week’s Wednesday somewhere along the way. Apologies. that means you had two weeks “to cultivate a daily practice of simplicity for the next seven days“.

Take a moment to reflect on the practice. If you begin to take yourself and the practice too seriously remember that “laughter lightens the load”. Be kind to yourself. Choose whether it would be a Good and kind practice for yourself to continue.

Now, we’ve come to Christmas Eve Eve. Later today, you will get a post with all the updates for tomorrow’s services and the schedule for the day.

I was watching The Man Who Invented Christmas last night. It’s about the writing of A Christmas Carol, which I usually read every December (I still have time). Charles Dickens writes about the common people and the common plights of the common man. The poor, the meek, the depressed, the gentle, the hungry, the persecuted…sound familiar?

Apparently, Christmas in 1843, Christmas wasn’t a big celebration. In fact, it was a time when the day off was often begrudged by employers as a “wasted” day. The poor were getting poorer. Debters were put into prisons…but I digress.

Dickens wanted to write something that brought out the heart and light in people. He wanted something, to make Christmas, a time when people thought of more than themselves. He did. We got A Christmas Carol to remind us that we matter and we make a difference in the world.

It was written in a mere few weeks, rushed to the publisher, put on sale on December 19th, and was sold out before Christmas.

While giving to the needy wasn’t a new concept at Christmas time, Dickens’ book inspired many people— especially the nouveau riche of the industrial revolution— to dramatically increase their generosity.

I invite you to be generous. Everything may feel a bit out of control this week. It may be hard to make decisions about what to do and where to go and who to be with. Generosity reminds us that we are not alone. It reminds us of others who are struggling as well. When you get overwhelmed, I invite you to offer back.

Maybe you offer back what's sometimes called a Metta Prayer to remember our common connectedness and our common needs.  
Maybe you offer a prayer to God.  
Maybe you offer a handful of seeds (or burnt cookies) to the birds.
Maybe you offer yourself a break for stillness. 
Maybe your offer a gift of charity to the charity of your choice.  

May your day be full of Light and Love and Joy and Peace and Faith. May you find Grace in today.