So…. Here I am… 53 years young…. A child of the King…. A follower of Jesus. An artist, writer, poet, creator, designer, world traveler, gardener, animal rescuer, and former corporate Human Resources professional. I am an introvert with nurtured extrovert etiquette. A gal who loves and feels deeply yet tries to exercise caution in sharing too much of myself in order to remain rested. This is me. Blessed, broken, burdened, believing in God’s miracles and hope. A wife, daughter, relative, friend, acquaintance and a sometimes social media dabbler. And as I reflect on the unique life God has granted me to sojourn upon this magnificent Earth, I am here with pause to share with y’all what I know to be true this holiday season:
We must choose love. We must be kind. We must care and give a damn about each other. We must foster hope and advocate peace instead of violence - and we must do so all year, every year. We must elevate our speech with goodness as well as hold our tongue from sharing hate and/or grumbling snarky opinions. We must be builders, lifting up rather than tearing down. And we must each use our talents & gifts to encourage and support one another. We must grant one another true grace. The grace of forgiveness. The grace of acceptance and hospitality. The grace of treating others as you would also like to be treated. We must give grace freely and sacrificially to everyone we encounter, including ourselves. For grace is a gift. (And gifts are awesome, right??!)
Grace is from God and why we even celebrate this season. It is why we have acknowledged for centuries the birth of Christ and the sacrifice of His life for ours. It is why the sun rises, the stars sparkle. It is in every season, every atom, every breath we are blessed to experience. This is me remembering who I am in the big picture of God’s gift of grace. This is me sharing the reminder with you, dear souls.
#happyholidays