“The Coming Days of this Holiday Season”

The year journeys on; and, suddenly, we find ourselves facing the “Holiday Season.”  If, up until Halloween with its warm weather, lovely foliage and entertaining sports, you didn’t feel the pressure to celebrate – or more correctly – spend money for gifts, grandiose meals and decorations, you just have been ignoring your TV, magazine and newspaper ads.  It seems that merchants are faced with six fewer shopping days this year due to the lateness of Thanksgiving and are feeling serious pressure to separate you from your hard-earned dollars.
Is it just because we’re getting older that it seems like the time between holiday celebrations gets shorter and shorter?  Is global warming or rancorous politics diverting our attention, and perhaps, our enjoyment, of each precious day?  
For some, the time passes only too slowly – troubles steal the pleasure of each day, and the world is confined to a small surrounding radius.  For some, time passes almost unconsciously, absorbed in the meaningless moment of pleasure.  For some, time is a source of unending pressure, never enough of it to accomplish all the projects and, too often, self-imposed, obligations of each day.  And then, for some, time is a blessing and a gift.  Each day is an opportunity to see God’s creation in a new light, a chance to brighten someone’s day with a generous gesture or even just a smile.  A period of hours and minutes to be lived to the fullest, absorbing the bumps, shedding the hurt, and seeing the good in each moment.
We hope that the coming days of this Holiday Season will be, for you, times when you feel a touch of love from another human, give moments of pleasure when the sun shines at a unique angle, provide lots of warmth during the coming chilly days and, perhaps, something delicious shared with someone you love.  Above all, we hope that these coming days will be filled with a feeling of Thanksgiving and Joy in the traditions of this festive time, and with a profound consciousness of the many blessings our God bestows on us each day throughout the year.                                                                                          Virginia                                                                 When times are good, be happy;  but when times are bad, consider:
    God has made the one as well as the other.    Ecclesiastes 7:14