Glad Tidings!

I confess! I’m caught up in the Christmas spirit, and I’m experiencing sensations of joy and hope that I just don’t feel at other times of the year. Perhaps it is the knowledge that the short days and long nights are going to reverse. Maybe it’s the combined pleasure of choosing gifts for others while anticipating the special treats they are planning for me. It may have something to do with the gay decorations that adorn everything from homes to businesses, or the quiet reverence for an ancient stable scene that still continues to inspire hope for a better world. The spirit of Christmas is all these things and more; it is the metaphysical mystery of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. This is my second Christmas since being diagnosed with leukemia, and in a strange kind of way I am grateful for the keener sense of appreciation for almost everything than I had before. I am truly looking forward to our family gathered together for the holidays, for some time off from the mundane routine, and for the opportunity to be still and to know that God is with us. In all likelihood I will take a breather from my blogging, too, and so it is appropriate that I take this opportunity to wish my readers all the goodness and happiness of this season.