Sunday, December 20, 2009

Thank God for Everyday Gifts

Dear Blog, friends, family, anyone who chances upon this entry:

It’s the weekend before Christmas – and yes, I’ve got plenty of finishing up on some gifts and such, but I’m not stressing…some of those gifts may be delivered a week after the Big Day. I’ve got the week off between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and that will be plenty of time to finish up. They’ll still be gifts, no matter when they’re delivered.

Really folks, shouldn’t we break out of the focus on just one day and try to spread the joy throughout the year with unexpected random acts of kindness, little gifts strewn like twinkle lights from January to December?

Generosity shouldn’t have a timeline, not keyed to birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Chanukah, whatever. Gifts of a smile to a troubled person (and listening, really listening as they vent their pain), picking up the tab for tea because conversation is so precious, a surprise visit to a loved one or a long, deep conversation on the phone, sharing the world’s great art with a young one … those are treasures we cannot measure.

I’ll admit that I’m sounding very philosophical right now. I get this way like lots of folks as one year approaches conclusion and the new year brings so much promise. Hell, even Sting said the winter is a time of retrospection on this morning's "CBS Sunday Morning" profile about him and his latest CD.

I find myself saying that I look forward to the first week of January more than I do to Christmas. And I get scolded by folks for being willing to give away the next two weeks and not live each day fully. Pardon me, but I like looking forward to good things and a new year is one of those for me.

I’ll still live each day until Jan. 1 fully, I assure you, but I also look forward to closing the book on 2009.

Though this year has been a revelation for me in so many ways – a whole new circle of wonderful friends I’ve mentioned in this blog, an enriched creativity that I’m still not sure where it will take me, and a greater calm than I’ve never experienced before – I look forward to taking all of that into 2010 to continue this journey I’m on.

I hope you all receive the gifts I’ve been given this year – love of family, friendship, creativity, calm. These and others are not assigned to be given on any specific day, thank God. We get to enjoy them every moment of each day.

Love to you all!

Thanks for checking in on me – Cathie Lou

No comments:

Post a Comment