The True Spirit of Christmas: A time for Gratitude and Reflection

As I pause on this Christmas Eve, my heart turns to the true essence of this sacred celebration – the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. Beyond the wrapped presents and twinkling lights, I’m reminded that the greatest gift ever given wasn’t placed under a tree but in a humble manger in Bethlehem.

Looking back over this year’s journey, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. Each morning I could rise, and work was a blessing. Every moment of peace in a turbulent world was a gift. The warmth of family gatherings, the laughter shared with friends, the simple joy of good health—these precious gifts have filled my days with grace and meaning.

My heart especially reaches out to those who are hurting this Christmas. I see you, dear friends, who are facing an empty chair at your table, whose loved ones have left this earthly realm this year. Your pain is real. I want you to know that while today’s sorrow feels overwhelming, I promise you that healing will come. Not to erase your memories but to transform your tears into tender remembrances of the love you shared. I miss my dad at Christmas, but I have hopes of resurrection, and that I will see him again, someday. Not in this world, but in heaven. That, is my faith.

Reflecting on that first Christmas night, I’m moved by its powerful message of hope rising from humble circumstances. Mary and Joseph, far from home, found light in their darkest hour. This reminds me—and all of us—that even in our moments of deepest sadness, we’re held in divine love’s embrace.

Whether you’re celebrating joyfully or quietly nursing a tender heart this Christmas, I invite you to join me in embracing the profound love that entered our world that holy night. In Jesus’s birth, we find our ultimate source of gratitude – the assurance that dawn always follows darkness, that love never truly ends, and that hope blooms eternal in even the coldest seasons of our lives.

As I bow my head in prayer today, I’m thankful not just for the blessings I can count but for the limitless love that counts us all worthy, that’s our pain, celebrates our joy, and promises us that better days lie ahead. This is the true spirit of Christmas – a love that transforms, heals, and makes all things new.

Merry Christmas my dear friends, and to those who don’t celebrate, have a fabulous and relaxing holiday. See you in 2025!

Much love, always! 🙂

Jesus is the Reason for Christmas

Dec23

Embracing Kindness with Jesus at the Center is the True Meaning of Christmas.

As the world transforms into a festive wonderland, we should remember that it’s not just about the glittering lights and wrapped presents. Christmas, at its core, is a celebration of kindness, and there’s no better reminder than the heart-warming presence of Jesus. He is the reason for the season, although many have conveniently forgotten that in the feverish gift buying, adverts and consumerism that seems to have pervaded our society.

The True Gift: Kindness Beyond Wrappings

It’s true that the anticipation of wrapped surprises is undeniable, but let’s not forget the real magic – kindness. It’s an intangible gift that doesn’t need fancy ribbons. A kind word, a thoughtful gesture – that’s the essence of a Christmas well-celebrated.

Jesus, the Anchor of Compassion:

In the hustle and bustle, pause to remember the true reason for the season – Jesus. His birth and life are the spirit of Christmas, encouraging us to love one another and extend kindness in every interaction.

A Resolution for Eternal Joy:

Life is temporal and things can change swiftly, so let’s love truly, and forgive quickly, that’s the true meaning of Christmas.

From me to you, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May your days be filled with the warmth of Jesus’ love, and inspiring acts of kindness that create a ripple effect of joy in every corner of your life.

Much love, always! 🙂

Smile, It’s Christmas!

Dec25

(Photo Credit: Flickr)

Life could be a jumbled mess, even at Christmas but smile, be happy because great things are afoot. That is if you believe it.

Last year Christmas, I was in the hospital. It was like a prison because for the first time in my life; I wasn’t with my family at Christmas. Two months before my admission, I’d had surgery, and for whatever reasons, my body reacted badly to the anaesthesia, and my right knee, ankle and hips bore the full brunt of the invasion. My knee was angry, red, bloated and painful. It was as if it had a life of its own, so morphine, tramadol, and cocodamol became my best pal.

I’d been on the waiting list for over a year now to rectify the anomaly in my joints, but our dear old NHS is also going through a tangled mess of its own, so I have to wait it out, in pain. A few days ago, my joints seemed to have had enough, and I had to seek medical help. It’s especially angrier at winter, so it’s like a vicious circle. So why am I writing this? In spite of my health challenges, I love celebrating Christmas because it’s about Jesus Christ, not Santa or the frenzy buying of gifts. There’s nothing bad in gifts, I’ve bought mine and it’s all wrapped up but it’s more than that. I believe Jesus is the son of God, and Christmas is a time to continue to spread the love of Christ and joy in our world. Although I must confess that as a Christian, it saddens me to see Santa glorified to gargantuan proportion, but hey, that’s life.

Life’s a mess sometimes, and I am using this article to reach out to anyone who’s faced or is still facing disease, disappointments, breakdowns of relationships at Christmas and this holiday season. Live strong, and it would pass. People will always piss you off, your expectations may fall short, and the gaiety of this season may appear fake, but life is truly rich and beautiful. We should always have hope irrespective of our circumstances, that things will always get better. If you’re a Christian, that hope is in Jesus Christ, If you’re of another faith, have this hope that things will get better by channelling your energies to positive things, do good to others and believe great things will come your way.

Smile with confidence, like the boy in the picture because things will work out in ways you’d never imagined.

Merry Christmas my friends, wherever you are in the world and have a fantastic New Year!

2019 is merely days away! Wow!!

A Time To Love

Dec18

Early-autumn-reflections-in-Buttermere-in-the-Lake-District-in-Cumbria

(Photo credit: Flickr)

‘Christmas is the perfect time to celebrate the love of God and family and to create memories that will last forever. Jesus is God’s perfect, indescribable gift. The amazing thing is that not only are we able to receive this gift, but we are able to share it with others on Christmas and every other day of the year.’

Joel Osteen

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(I love the Lake District!)

‘Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.’

Norman Vincent Peale

The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of love and of generosity and of goodness. It illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than in things.

Thomas S. Monson

Reading these quotes reminded me of the real meaning of Christmas. It’s a time of love, a time to share, and a time to have fun. Some people aren’t so lucky to be surrounded by loved ones this Christmas but we could help in our own way by donating money, food supplies to charities like the Salvation army and spread the spirit of love wherever we find ourselves.

From my end here, I wish every one of you a merry Christmas and a happy new year! If you don’t celebrate Christmas, happy holidays!

Much love, always. 🙂

On Humanity And Idiosyncrasies

Dec4

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(My ideal place to be now!)

“Man surprised me most about humanity. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” Dalai Lama

If we continually observe the world, it’s really filled with sad news, war, war, and war! Yet in the midst of the seemingly absurd, grotesque, insane, and obscene, we have to carry on living.

My husband and I were having one of our ‘philosophical chats’ when he quoted Dalai Lama, it hit me like a sledgehammer; am I working too hard?

However, after a brief soul-searching I came to this verdict: I love life, I really enjoy living even when I’m working hard and juggling multiple responsibilities with kids screaming for my attention, countless office deadlines and uncooperative plots ( my novels and several other manuscripts I’m working on).

I am absolutely certain that I enjoy my idiosyncratic attitude to living because life has no part two, there are no dress rehearsals or a delete button. We take what we have, use it wisely and hope for the best, and I think we ought to strive to find joy in life in any way we can.

December is a month of frenzy cum feverish spending, planning, office parties. Why not pause for a while, enjoy the snow-capped mountains, (if there’s one in your vicinity), the fake reindeer, and annoying Christmas jingles that normally grated on your nerves.

I intend to, I hope you’ll all enjoy everyday living.

Have a fantastic weekend friends!

Much love, always. 🙂

The Double C

Dec17

This picture calms me down, I’ve stared at it for days, it’s so beautiful!

(Photo Credit: Flickr)

This year would be the first Christmas without my dad. Apparently, it’s been eight months since his passing and I should have gotten used to it now but it hurt most when I know I can’t hear his voice. We were quite close and as this year is slowly rolling to an end, I wished I could hear him call my name softly; just one more time! *sigh*

I miss you dad!

However, acknowledging my grief was a good thing, and it has helped me on the road to recovery. Some days, it was unbearable, other days I limped through it. Then last week, while I was doing the dishes and listening to a song called ‘hallelujah,’ I was overwhelmed and burst into tears but my spirit then envisioned my dad at peace and with Jesus, immediately, my tears stopped and I felt better than I had in months. I still miss him, and it still hurt, but I have that confidence that he’s at peace.

I hope I’m not dampening your Christmas spirit, if I am, just stop reading, 🙂 but there’s a miracle in blogging to friends whatever situation you’re in. A trouble shared is a trouble solved, I think I’ve read that somewhere. 🙂

Now with that off my chest, I saw this picture about two days ago and I absolutely love it. Christ is real, and He’s the reason for Christmas, that’s why I titled this post the double C, ‘Christ for Christmas.’ I don’t think political correctness should still be at play in this beautiful season, and if it is, that’s a shame.

I love this picture

I wish everyone a beautiful and Merry Christmas, to all my Christian friends, I pray the Joy and hope Jesus gives would be yours forever, to my non-Christian friends, I wish you a peaceful and happy holidays.

Much love, always! 🙂