“Ordinary riches
can be stolen, real riches cannot.
In your soul are infinitely precious things
that cannot be taken from you.” ~ Oscar Wilde
Good
Morning!
As many of us
make our last-minute Christmas preparations,
tying ribbons and bows, I thought that this Oscar Wilde quote was a
nice
reminder about “real riches.”
While we give
gifts and save gift receipts, let us remember
that the best gift we can give doesn’t fit in a box…and it certainly
doesn’t
need a gift receipt. It isn’t the
opening of the presents, or the surprises inside that bring true and
lasting
joy. It’s the moments around the edges,
the laughter, the winks, and the touch of one person to another.
Both sadly and
ironically, it is often easier to see what
really matters when it isn’t there to see.
Ask a family that has lost someone this past
year, and they know for
certain what is missing, and they know for certain what matters, and
they know
for certain that it isn’t under the tree, or tucked carefully in a
package
wrapped with gold ribbon.
We have to learn
to see love, and touch love, and make it
just as visible as any other icon of the season. Perhaps if
it were tangible, if we could see
how fragile moments really are, we would be more careful not to drop
them.
In 2005, I faced
an especially trying holiday season.
I lost my father that year, after losing my
brother eight years before. As
the
holidays approached that one loss greatly compounded the other. Yet, I always feel that
when we lose
something, we also stand to gain something.
Life is balance.
In my search to
gain, I did something new this year.
Instead of opening doors on an advent calendar
and anticipating a piece
of chocolate inside, I opened my eyes to a magical moment each day. It was much more
rewarding, and each day
brought more than one moment. Of
course,
I had to open my eyes and choose to see them.
Otherwise, I would have only seen another
pound on the scale from eating
some chocolates.
Your Turn:
What can
you do today, and every day, to make love visible in your life? Imagine your love is
carefully contained
within a fragile heirloom glass ornament; imagine love from others in
the same
way. Handle love
carefully, give it
freely, and treat it for what it is – the greatest gift we will ever
have the
power to give or receive.
Today’s Affirmation:
Today, I make my love for others visible, realizing it is the only gift
that truly matters.
