A Relaxed Holiday

Have you ever experienced a relaxed holiday? Generally the Christmas season tends to be anything but that. A certain Christmas a number of years ago stands out in my memory. Typically, that holiday involved not only celebrating at home with our littles, but also making a bee line to two sets of grandparents all in one day. Not only was our day spent, but each and every one of us was spent as well. This particular year we were snowed in by a blizzard. There was no way we could have travelled anywhere.

Our initial disappointment soon turned to a relaxed joy. Rather than rushing and worrying about cramped time schedules, there was something about the endless privilege of feeling in the now moment. It was a harkening back to simpler times. With passing years, our children fondly remembered that as one of their favorite Christmas days.

Plan Changes

Many centuries ago, a young man and woman were enrolling themselves in the census. They, too, endured plan changes. They had to lodge in a manger for there was no room for them at the inn. Their journey was also delayed by Mary giving birth to Jesus.

Sometimes life makes other plans for us. The year 2020 was a prime example. Who could have predicted all the sifts occurring in our collective plans for that year?

A change in our expectations of events makes me think of the old song lyrics penned by the Rolling Stones, ” You can’t always get what you want, but you just might find, you get what you need!”

A verse in the Bible comes to mind, “Be still and know that I am God.” This is an apt message not only for a holiday time, but also for any time. There are instances when we simply must be forced to slow down to see more clearly, to feel more deeply and to breathe more freely. Many times, this is exactly what we need!

For a relaxed holiday, is it time to jump off our merry-go-round identities of being human-doings?

Life is so much more than running a race to see how much we can accomplish, how many miles we can travel or how may dollars we can spend. Sometimes life is easily and simply seeing, feeling, breathing, and sharing. This holiday season may be a wintering of ourselves, much as the trees withdraw their external leafing energies as they build the internal. So, sit back and relax, inhale and be still. Enjoy your true namesake of being a human-being! Ponder the treasure of your memory in recalling the shared blessings of Christmases past. May the recollections gently caress your heart and soul. Through the gift of being still, may you find what you truly need this holiday season and always!

Here is another feel good holiday story about an unusually beautiful sign from our dearly departed son: OUR VISITOR. While your plans for this holiday are already set, here are some considerations for future celebrations: https://simplelionheartlife.com/simplify-the-holidays/.