Human + Spirit=Christmas

The Rife Clan

Once again I find myself in the center of the Christmas season, but notice I say in the center of the season,and not the center of it’s meaning.  I have continued my spiritual practices as I sit each morning with my coffee in hand, and take time to read my daily reading, offering prayer and devotion to the greater good for all.  Unfortunately, I find myself going about this great endeavor with all my senses focused on the hustle and bustle of the season and everything I have to do yet. Nothing is able to seep into my mind and spirit, I can feel the void, but I need to get to the things at hand. 

Finally, I sit down today and listen to the spiritual struggling going on inside me.  It goes like this:

Human-Lets get this over with so we can get to our list for the day.

Spirit-Nothing really matters, nothing really matters to me!!!!  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia…..al-le-lu-ia!!!

Human-what did I just read? I really wanted to pay attention. I guess I’ll have to read it over. Oh, nothing will sink in.  I’ll read it again.

Spirit-Just let go.

Human-how can I let go when I have so much to do. Shopping, cookies, decorating, cards to send, gifts to make…uhg!!! The list goes on.

Spirit-Simplify!

Human-How do you simplify so much to do, and get it all done in time?

Spirit-Breath—in and out – slowly!

Human-Oh…I don’t have time for this.

Spirit-Yes you do.

Human-OK…I’ll try.

Spirit-Now you are ready to listen and remember why you are doing all these things  in the first place. As you go about all the hustle and bustle of the season remember the reason. “Start from now” and keep this in the center of all you do from here on out.

Human-Now I can see clearly now…the rain is gone!  I know what was really missing.

Spirit-what was it?

Human-it was…You!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

To be or not to be, that is the question.

 

To be or not to be, that is the question.

I am blessed, as we all are, with the freedom to choose, it is a precious gift. Every moment is an opportunity to “start from now.” So what is it that we want to be? I don’t know about you, but I want to be happy. Happy doesn’t come at a cost, it simple comes from the way we choose to think. I try to think optimistically because it allows me to see things in their entirety, and in the right relations. It’s not easy because there’s always those things outside of our control that pull us into a pessimistic attitude. Before we know it, we are looking at things from a limited and one-sided point of view.  The goodness often lies beneath the muck, as my mother-in-law would say, “the muck becomes the goodness that makes the best gravy.”  If I choose to be optimistic, I open myself to understanding, truth and the wisdom that is already in me.  We create our own reality buy building our world around the view-point we choose to hold onto, and that is where we reside.   How I choose to be not only affects me, but it touches you as well. I can’t do anything to change the way someone else thinks, but I can do something about how my thinking affects you.

To be or not to be? The only hard thing about the question is the question itself.