christmas love
i woke up this morning feeling the gitters and the joy that sprinkles in with the dawn of this day.
It's Christmas! We get to Play!
and as the jewish girl for whom chirstmas has no real meaning, i ponder what this day represents for me. i feel this day as one of honoring and embracing love: loved ones, love for Christ, love for being alive, love for the snow, love for the tree, love for the smell of the tree, love and gratitude for giving, loving the gifts of giving, love for receiving, love for the children's joy and excitement, love for the smell of the meal cooking, love for the food and the food and the food, love for the hugs, love for the loving glances caught between moments with people you love, love for the stories, love for the memories, love of the light that glitters and sparkles and splashes into our being at this time of year. . . (feel free to share the loves that i've left out)
the next wave that washes over me invites me to embody all of the love that i feel at this time of year. every light that i see glowing is a little taste of god and the joy and delight of the universe and its many miracles. every smile i see is an invitation to enter into that love and feel it permeate my being. every squeal of delight is a nudge to my soul to open up and just let it all in. let it all come pouring in. love, love, love!!
as christmas and hanakah are times for stories and solstice and new years are times for reflection, i find myself traveling back to the invitation that we feel our own story.
stop for a moment and breathe. close your eyes if you'd like, and feel the radiance within yourself. feel the gentleness in your closed eyes. feel the smile that creeps over your face. feel the blessing to this world that is you and your life. feel the amazing gifts that you have to offer. feel the beauty that you see within yourself, in the world around you, and in others. see the beauty before you. look at it and smile. embrace the light and beauty in those precious loved ones that are before you right now. embrace all of the love that you can wrap your arms around, feel all of the love embracing you.
the greatest gift any of us can give a person is to reflect back to them, through our faces, that we are receiving them and their wonder... ~ Rabbi Marc Gafni
here is a remix i did of dhana's words at IN. i love the invitation and offer it to you in this day of joy and celebration of love.
meet soul to soul
recognize the God in each other and emerge from the confines of your box
be open
give things away
bond with others
suspend gravity
inspire
sing
make friends
celebrate existence
Joy promotes trust in oneself; when we are joyful, we feel self-confident and accept ourselves, knowing that our existence is not a matter of indifference.
accept yourself
be delighted in and feel accepted by the world
The moment we accept ourselves, our inner being, and the world around us, we dwell in joy
merry christmas.
in love and joy,
ashley
