This Christmas

Agnes M. Pharo once said, ~ What is Christmas? It is the tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.~ Let me ask you this question, what does Christmas mean to you? For it's a question that can conceivably have so many answers because there are countless things to choose from such as getting the gift(s) you've hinted at that you've most wanted or asked for from jolly old Saint Nick. I think we can all agree, presents are one of the many reasons what make Christmas absolutely enjoyable as it turns mature grown up back into giddy immature children. Yet, it's not so much getting the pricey gifts that define Christmas as its more of how God has blessed you with the following gifts: health, friends, and family.

Without a doubt, we're all blessed to have our health and it's a tough situation indeed to try to avoid hurting yourself to the point of breaking bones to getting physically sick for the whole year. You most definitely would applaud those who possibly could accomplish that type of feat as he/she has been able to avoid getting hurt/sick, but there are certain people out there who haven't been so lucky as it goes far beyond just getting the typical cold or flu. Personally speaking, I know a friend of mine who a couple of months ago developed cancer and before ever going into surgery she had this I will kick its butt attitude showing that instead of giving up in order to let it slowly beat her, she going to beat it back whereby exuding a fighting spirit to keep on living, which is considered a blessed precious gift you should never take for granted. If you're wondering, she's doing ok as far as I know.

Essentially, God has blessed each one of us with great friends who can be at times unexpected surprising gifts because you never know what they're going to do or say, but you love them anway.You see, great friends are hard to come by these days, as they are able to personally, emotionally, physically, mentally, financially, and even spiritually lift you up when you're down. You have to admit, when you're blessed with great friends the world seems less stressful unless they're the cause of the stress, whereby leaving you pondering and possibly giving you a reason to exchange them for that so-called new friend smell, but who really wants to take the time to break in new friends? All kidding aside though, if you are fortunate enough to have friends who can put certain aspects of life into perspective such as relationships/love you've been given gifts that keep on giving.

For the question can be asked, how many of you are eternally blessed to have THE most priceless gifts a person can ever be given and that is family. If you think about it, the family dynamic has immensely changed over the years to where it's whatever you personally see it to be and depending on your family situation and how close you are with them you know they love you with all their heart...but I digress. With this being the holiday season, having your whole family together is something special, but for some members of the family who may be overseas in the military they can't be there to share the fun, love, and warmth. It's a sad situation indeed to not have family with you by your side during Christmas, but it would be safe to say that for a wife, mother, brother, sister, etc. the best present they would most like to have is for their spouse, sibling, or relative to be safe at home.

In retrospect, Christmas means so much more than 3 day sales on certain items like video cameras, phones, DVDs, big screen TVs, DVD players, and so on. Its about counting your blessings in which God has been able to keep yourself, as well as, the people you care about safe not just this year, but also past years and possibly future Christmases to come. So, I encourage you to take time to reflect on all the blessings you've been fortunate enough to be given/experienced this past year and pray to God that He continues it on to the new year. In end, I say this to each and every one of you that this christmas count your blessings and know that God has presented you with gifts that are worth more than any ipod, Wii, computer, or whatever you may get on Christmas day, which is a song that reflects this thought by the late Donny Hathaway.