Regardless of your religious denomination, this is a beautiful time of year, isn’t it? The air literally hums with anticipation at office parties and in shopping malls as we prepare for this holy celebration. As I don’t follow any particular faith tradition, I like to think of Christmas and New Year’s as a time for reflection on the year just passed and the possibilities offered by the new one poised to begin. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, Mother Earth rests up for the work she must do come spring, offering the bounty that sustains us on our individual earthly paths. What better way to apply the message of Jesus to our lives than to respect the gifts He has given us: the gift of life, the gift of family and friends and the gift of a planetary home that provides us with everything we need.
I’m so blessed with a wonderful family, friends, a roof over my head and food to eat. My hope for 2011 is that living conditions improve for the millions of people caught in a cycle of endless poverty and hunger and that the gap between the haves and have nots narrows to nothing. Yes, I know that that’s wishful thinking, but I can still hope. May you have a blessed 2011, dear reader!
I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments!