Christmas is a beautiful reminder that life does indeed have meaning. It is a message that reaches beyond dogma and belief and touches the knowing spirit. It is a message that, at its heart, is freely given in perfect love and grace, unearned and unconditional. That makes Christmas a gift in the truest sense of the word.
The traditions and rituals of the season are filled with warmth, hospitality, and good cheer. Behind those traditions, as worldly and seemingly corrupted as some of them may have become, you can still feel the real and timeless substance of love.
The joy of this day is a joy offered to all in the spirit of love. To rich and poor, to the leaders and the outcasts, to the lucky and the lonely, love is the gift that can transcend every barrier and touch every heart.
More brilliant than the glitter of the moment, unshaken by the frenzy and confusion, love shines through. Love, freely given, brings hope where hope was impossible, and changes things forever.
Look around on this day, and you’ll know it.
May this holiday season and upcoming year be filled with blessings of health, joy, hope, strength, and, most of all, love for you and your family.
Caring for Yourself During the Holidays
At this special time of year, we are reminded how important it is to take care of ourselves first. If we don’t, we have nothing authentic to give. If we don’t take care of ourselves, we “give to get,” and we get upset when others don’t give back in return. If, however, we DO take care of ourselves, then we give without expectation or attachment, and do so because it is a joy to share the love we feel inside our own hearts. I am not talking about just material giving – that’s nice, and it IS fun when we can do it, but material giving is far less significant than giving of our hearts and souls. It is the sharing of our hearts that we all crave – the connection that arises when you let the love of God flow from you towards another soul – the kind word that arises naturally when you think of someone who has touched your life, the prayer that you pray for a friend in need, the smile for a stranger, the expression of gratitude and appreciation that, while it may seem small to you, could mean the world to another. These are the gifts of our hearts that mean the most. I know a kind word will never be forgotten in my own heart – it is something I treasure. And when I see the joy that sharing my heart can give another, I know God has worked through me. This is the feeling we all want inside of ourselves – to know THIS love pouring through our own hearts.
But in order to give this way, we must take care of our own needs, starting with our spirits, our bodies, our minds, and our emotions. It doesn’t take as much time as people think. It just takes being in the moment, checking in with yourself, and making sure you listen to your body, mind, and soul every single day. It is not the BIG things that change the quality of our lives, but rather the day-to-day simple decisions. Do we eat what our bodies are asking us to eat? Do we take the time to sit, breathe, and ask the angels and God to fill our hearts, each day, if only for a few minutes? Do we reach out for help or comfort when we are in need? Or do we fill ourselves with the LIE that we are not worthy of such care, and that life is too hard, too complicated, and too busy to do these small and simple acts of self-love? I used to believe that horrid little lie that society programs inside of us. Once exposed, however, it has no more control over our lives. Once we turn to God’s Truth – that we ARE loved and have all the time we need for the things that truly matter – life begins to arrange itself more gracefully around us.
I used to think I had too many all-important tasks to take care of myself. It was ridiculous. There were days when I answered up to 150+ emails and 30 calls. I rushed around to accomplish all the busy errands I thought I HAD to do each day. I worked 6-7 days a week and was at everyone’s beck and call. I never had time to take care of myself. When I was younger, I would whine, “I take care of everybody else, God, and yet nobody cares about me.” What rubbish! The angels drummed sanity into my head. “Ann, you do not care enough about yourself, and until you do, no one else will. It is you, Ann, who is teaching the world how to treat you. God cares about you, but YOU don’t care about you.” Those things were hard to hear, but they were the Truth, and my life didn’t change until I embraced their words and made changes in my own heart.
The universe is vibrational – it echoes back to us exactly what we put out, either consciously or unconsciously. I was putting out a signal that said, “I am too busy to take care of myself,” and the universe echoed it back… “Ok, you are going to be kept too busy to take care of yourself.” Over the years, I finally realized I am worthy of my own time and attention, and as I care for myself, I can better care for and share with others. Now the universe echoes this back…”You are worthy of your own time and attention, and we will help you take care of yourself so you can care for and share with others.” As I learned to honor my own time, the number of emails and calls is either reasonable, or I am given the grace to handle them when my heart dictates. I work fewer insane hours and am able to give more. I stopped over-complicating my life with self-imposed deadlines about what must be done and when, and I started living by heart. I am still quite busy, but that ‘busyness’ involves time in my schedule to take care of myself. It is a busyness birthed in the heart, not the head, and somehow, magically, all I need is provided, and I have the time to do things that truly matter. Things that don’t matter so much – proving myself to others or to me – have fallen by the wayside. As a result, I have a lot more love and joy to share.
So in this busy holiday season, breathe, take a few minutes to sit with God, and pray each day. Drop into your hearts and ask, “What truly matters to me right now, today, at this moment.” And live accordingly. The smallest decision, to care for yourself, when made with love and authenticity, can dramatically alter your future.
Written by Alisha Grant Ph.D.
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
