re: where is the joy?

in many ways I really dislike Christmas. For one, there's the rushing around, trying to find the right gift for that right person. Secondly, there's the uneasiness in the pit of my stomach that tells me I am wasting my time somehow. It is hard for me to go shopping, I have to use a walker, I get tired quickly, the cold on my legs brings new pain. So, it's just no fun at all,and I spend more time than I like looking thru catalogs. Just no fun.
Then there's the sadness that lingers on the sidelines, the void of those not around the tree this year, the people I love that I will not be able to hug and wish a Merry Christmas. There are little holes in my heart.
I find myself saying, "this time next month it will all be over", and that makes me feel better somehow.
And then I receive a note from an old friend, a brother I met thirty years ago when he entered the Order. And in his note he speaks of joy, and I feel better right away.
"Joy in life, joy in holiness, joy in relationships, even joy in suffering is a great gift of God, a mark of a life well lived and a faith well nurtured. Fame, success, self-esteem, health, happiness are transient, but joy - real joy - grows deep and endures." Thank you Lord, for friends who remind me of the true spirit of Christmas!

Hello Winter !

Today I visited a very "old" friend. She's so old that her daugther is mothering her thru a temporary setback. We laughed and prayed together. We remembered the years when our hair was much darker. We shared our faith and our fears.

The cold doesn't feel as bad when I am with someone and the quality of our time is precious. God calls us all to "be there" for each other. We shared the reading in the Forward for today. "in the sharing we honor one another's humanity and cherish the time we have together. And, in the process, God's precious gift of friendship assumes a sweet intensity we might not otherwise have known."

It's all good. Thank you God.