Author Topic: The spirit of Christmas  (Read 1189 times)

seastorm

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The spirit of Christmas
« on: December 20, 2010, 03:34:16 PM »
I have been recovering from knee surgery and so I'm housebound and pretty weak, also my daughter is threatening to disown me.

The good news is that a friend of mine suggested that I have a breakfast brunch on Dec 24. She invited a few people I know and I invited a few people. It will be pot luck but  it is becoming lovely. Someone is bringing whipped cream and chocolate for waffles, another orange juice, someone else buttermilk and syrup and on and on. We will bring something gently used to exchange as a game. I cant get out to shop and so just withdrew from Christmas. This is such a nice thing and everyone seems so pleased about it.

This morning a friends husband dropped off several bundles of kindling for the fire. I heat with wood mostly. I have a big semi uninsulated house.

One night when I had been home from the hospital for four nights I was laying in bed. I live in the country and my house is quite a walk from the car. It was about 8pm and the doorbell rang. I used my walker to get to the door and my friend, Marion, had her big flashlight and she had come to see if I was ok. I had turned my phone off and she was worried about me. Seeing her bundled up with her big flashlight was a heartwarming sight.

Yesterday  the Budhist group of three that I read with came over and we read a chapter and discussed it. It was a great sharing and conversation. We chanted at the end and it felt great.

The guys in the HandiDart ( transportation for the disabled) comes to my door and takes my arm like a Southern Gentleman. The people on the bus are friendly and funny and certainly understand about someone being slow and having to manage crutches. I love going to physio because I met some nice people there. One lady spins and weaves and we exchanged numbers. Another young guy is a trainer who screwed up his knee. There is a pretty instant bond when you can bearly walk.

I have enough money to hire a housekeeper for two times a week. She is delightful. We were driving along the road and she wanted to sing carols so we really got into it and before you knew it we were going 70 in a fifty zone. We laughed our heads off. I realized, happily, that no one wants to give up on the old carols with their old language (go a wasseling, hither and yon, oh christmas tree, jingle bells etc). While the world is changing so fast and it is easy to loose one's bearings, some things of value really prevail. There is kindness and warmth in people, the old songs give heart to people in perilous times, sometimes it takes being weak and vulnerable to see the goodness around me.

Blessings dear friends,

Sea storm

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Re: The spirit of Christmas
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2010, 04:15:59 PM »
Heartwarming Seastorm! Blessings returned to you.

Hopalong

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Re: The spirit of Christmas
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2010, 09:15:46 PM »
So glad, Sea.

Light in the darkness.
Warmth in the cold.

Oh good for you.

love,
Hops
"That'll do, pig, that'll do."

Twoapenny

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Re: The spirit of Christmas
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2010, 07:30:05 AM »
Oh Seastorm :)

I'm so happy to read your post, especially when things have been so hard for you.  Sometimes I think being forced out of a situation - however painful that may be - means that there is space for new people and new experiences.  Sometimes I also think that health problems, although difficult to manage, sometimes give us an opportunity to meet people we wouldn't have met otherwise, and just to spend time alone and really get to know ourselves - the good parts as well as the parts we find difficult, painful or that we just don't want to acknowledge.  And sometimes it's funny how relative strangers can be such a tonic.

Have a lovely Christmas breakfast with your friends, and I'm so glad that you are finding such good people in your life at the moment. xx

sKePTiKal

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Re: The spirit of Christmas
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2010, 07:53:26 AM »
Thanks for sharing this, Sea!

It seems to me a universal concept that cold & darkness are necessary to be able to see, appreciate, understand the importance of and participate in the connections of human warmth, kindness, and laughter. It can be read in all the spiritual traditions... and understood by even the smallest child.

As busy adults engaged in all our self-important activity we so often forget this. But it's always there... if we reach out for it and try to create it ourselves. It overcomes whatever difficulty we're currently engaged with... it persists... and it echoes out throughout life.

I needed reminding today - THANK YOU!

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