Our neighbour gave this to Geoff and I for Christmas in a beautiful frame.. I wanted to share it with you.. Its long but I hope you can take some time to read it.... From a book called Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach: December 10, Gifts of the Magi Christmas wont be Christmas without any presents. Jo March (Louisa May Alcott) Jos right. Remember when she grumbled about not having any money for presents in Little Women? Christmas is about gifts. Always has been. But we feel uncomfortable with this emphasis on gimme, gimme, gimme. Buy, buy, buy. Charge, charge, charge. We admonish our children to remember the reason for the season, even though we have difficulty remembering it ourselves when were caught up in the chaos and commotion of the holidays. Today lets ruminate on the Real role of gifts in the Christmas story. Those gifts were wrapped in miracles, which is probably why we cant find them at malls or in mail-order catalogs. The first gift was of Spirit: unconditional Love. The next gift came from a Jewish teenager named Miriam, who was known to her family and friends as Mary. Her Christmas present was selflessness, the complete surrender of ego and will needed to bring Heaven down to earth. The gifts of her fiancé, Joseph, were trust and faith. He trusted that Mary wasnt pregnant with another mans child; he believed there really was a Divine Plan to get them through this mess. The Child brought forgiveness. Wholeness. Second chances. The angels gifts were tidings of comfort, joy, and peace, the reassurance that there was nothing to fear, so rejoice. The shepherd boys gift was generosity: his favorite lamb for the babys birthday present. The innkeepers wifes gifts were compassion and charity: a warm, dry, safe place for the homeless family to stay, her best coverlet to wrap the new mother and little one, a meal for Joseph, the donkeys fresh hay. Three kings from the east traveled many hot, dusty miles following a bright star in search of a royal birth. The sages divination foretold the coming of the King of Kings; on their camels backs were treasures with which to honor his arrival. But when they arrived in Bethlehem, they found the newborn prince in a cow stall instead of a palace. The shocked Wise Men unwrapped gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but their Real gifts were wonder, acceptance, and courage. They offered wonder by surrendering logic, reason, and common sense. Accepting the impossible, they suspended skepticism long enough to double-cross the insane King Herod, frantically searching for the child who would change the world. With courage--at the risk of their own lives--the Wise Men helped the young family escape to a safe haven in Egypt. Oh, yes. Christmas is all about gifts. Nothing but gifts. But such gifts! Gifts tied with heartstrings. Gifts that surprise and delight. Gifts that transform the mundane into the miraculous. Gifts that nurture the souls of both the giver and the given. Perfect gifts. Authentic gifts. The gifts of Spirit, a frightened teenage girl, her bewildered sweetheart, the Child, the angels, the shepherd boy, the inn-keepers wife. The gifts of the Magi. Unconditional Love. Selflessness. Trust. Faith. Forgiveness. Wholeness. Compassion. Charity. Wonder. Acceptance. Courage. To give such gifts. To truly open our hearts to receive such gifts gratefully. Christmas just wont be Christmas without any presents.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 01:17:12 +0000
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