By Sharon Campbell Rayment – Special to the Sydenham Current
Well my friends we are now in the final count down!
One week to Christmas.
Ready or not here it comes.
It’s now time to hit the pause button.
And you say, “What Sharon? I have too much to do!”
Oh I know!
But the busier we are, the more often we should pause to catch our breath, and to give thanks to bolster our resilience, focus, and feelings of calm.
No really!
In all the wrapping, list making, now would really be the perfect time to just pause and give thanks.
If you are wrapping gifts, you can give thanks that you are able to purchase and share this gift with others.
If you are making a list for the coming Christmas dinner and worrying about ensuring everything is ready, give thanks for gathering family and sharing a meal.
If you are planning your holidays give thanks for the time you can spend with family and friends.
Even if you are feeling the ache of missing someone you love who will be missing from your Christmas table, you can honour them by sharing stories of remembrance and give thanks for the time you had together.
It’s not always easy to do, and as I shared last week, loss at this time can be overwhelming and make us feel like staying home, maybe even just staying in bed.
If you are feeling this way please open up to a friend, talk to your Dr., and ask for help.
It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help.
It is a sign of strength, because we truly cannot make it through alone.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we need each other in so many ways.
As Jesus states, “wherever two or more are gathered, I am there”.
This is truly the reason for celebrating this season. Immanuel. Immanuel dwells with us, within us, and in those quiet pauses, reuniting us with hope, peace, joy, and love.
This Tuesday evening at Trinity at 7 p.m., we will be honouring and celebrating the memory of those who cannot be with us this Christmas on the Longest Night of the year, the Winter Solstice.
It is a time to gather as friends and family, to honour and remember, those we have spent many a Christmas with, and the joy they brought to our lives.
It is also a time to honour your heart, your feelings of sadness, or loss of joy and hope.
This may be because of separation of family at this time due to the pandemic.
Perhaps you have lost your job and are struggling and need to be encouraged with hope and love. The pain of a divorce may make your Christmas appear different this year.
These are all experiences that can rob this season of its joy.
Yet gathering to acknowledge and allow ourselves to feel, to share, to just be still and honour how we feel is a gift.
One that God shares with us, the gift of Immanuel.
The gift that costs nothing, but enlivens, encourages, and assures us that hope is near, we can return to joy, experience inner peace, and receive and share love.
Until next time remember every breath you take is a breath of God and a shared one with All my Relations United as One.
