Wednesday, December 22, 2004

A Personal Holiday Sharing

This Christmas is full of celebration with abundant love and light to be received and given.
The holidays are filled with life.

Gia, our 6 yr. old grand daughter, is with us most of the Christmas vacation days, yesterday baking cookies and a making a gingerbread house with Grandma, reading the Christmas story with Grandpa and playing with the characters as though it were her story to makeup . Sunday, we saw the Best Christmas Pageant Ever with my mother-in- law Jackie. (A really good one to see or read.)

Today I will be doing grocery shopping for three Christmas dinners we are preparing this weekend. Our Spiritual Family gathers on Christmas Eve with sacred ritual and remembering the Light within each one. Robert’s family is together here on Christmas Day with a fun gift (Pre-owned or less than $10) drawing and trading ( an interactive game in which we learn how we always receive exactly what we create.) and all family members are being invited to share a blessing for the gathering. My family on Sunday with my Mom coming from North Carolina for the week and my daughters and their partners, their Dad and his wonderful wife and of course, Gia and the twin baby girls (in utero) due in May. For this family, the exchange will be about what we value in gathering as a family, how children touch our lives and what they can teach us. Each gathering will be totally different in focus, faith and formality, because the people are different. There will be no gifts in the traditional sense. Robert and I will prepare the meals, one lacto-ovo vegetarian, one traditional and one more relaxed with yummy leftovers.

On Thursday this week Robert and I will be giving Gia a bedroom makeover, with her permission…sponge painting with her choice of colors, putting up pictures she likes, rearranging furniture, clearing out outgrown clothes and toys and giving her a fresh start. Her Dad will be taking her up to the mountains for some skiing this week, Robert and I will be taking her to the ocean, her favorite with us, for a day next week with my Mom. We may have other field trips to visit her Mom and Dad for lunch at their respective work places and the natural museum where she will take a class in paper-making one day and soap-making another. Lots of happy events for caring and sharing, learning and living abundantly without presents, but with total Presence.

In between activities, I will be busy with 6 different pies (my favorite baking project), orange bran muffins, chocolate mousse, double fudge brownies for the Liebers, plus the usual festive foods and holiday traditions. We have a live tree outside our picture window and a live rosemary plant inside, plus a Norfolk pine—all simply decorated with old favorites, plus lots of silk poinsettias and a few live ones as well. Robert put up tiny white lights in the entry and around the back deck, which I may keep up all year round, since I love their happy glow. I play Christmas music from the Glory of Christmas at Crystal Cathedral which we saw for the third time last weekend. No new outfits and no gifts under a tree, but so much love and joy all will feel so blessed and filled with the Love of the Goodness within.

And yes, I will continue the editing for my next two books, writing Loving Reminders for me and you, and living my life available and on call for God and for the Good of All.

There is nothing missing where there is love and respect for all.
Prosperity lives inside of those who are full of caring and sharing, giving the best of ourselves.
Such is Abundant Living and Joyous Giving.
I am glad. I am grateful. I am blessed.

Loving you,
Betty Lue