Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

"May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and every window open to great possibility." - Mary Anne Radmacher

'Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la

There are several different celebrations this time of year. Each of these celebrations present "teachable moments" and many of these happen each year: Bodhi Day, Hanukkah (Jewish), Christmas Day, Kwanzaa, Omisoka, Yule, Day of the Return of the Wandering Goddess, and Winter Solstice.

Yes, there are Christians, Jewish, Atheist, Pagan, Buddhists, Kemetic Orthodoxy, Native Americans, Aboriginals, Neo-Pagans, and Muslims all with a holiday celebration. It might be religious oriented, or the celebrations could be centered on other end of year beliefs. But all are meant to "celebrate" something.

When you think of popular songs this time of year, one I have always enjoyed is "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." It is a song for me which says we should reflect and simply enjoy the moment, our each moment at this time of year. To be joyous and thankful of what we have been given throughout the year.

Joyous and thankful, but ...

If you read the history of this song though, the original lyrics were not quite as joyful in its original writing. Those lyrics were more of a lament of a family moving many miles away to a new job. In example, the original lyrics included the lines:

Faithful friends who were dear to us, Will be near to us no more

Not a very happy way of thinking and Hugh Martin, who had written the song for a 1944 movie titled “Meet Me in St. Louis.” That really is not a very merry way of enjoying your Christmas or celebrated morning. So the lyric was changed to the following.

Faithful friends who were dear to us, Will be near to us once more

And while the song is reflective, is also does not promise that these joys or merriment will be handed to you. What it does say though the holiday is one in which you must simply let it be. Whatever the year has brought to you, whatever you have at this moment, "happy" holidays are something you have to make for yourself. All of this joy and merriment is not simply handed to us.

We have to choose to be joyous.

When we accept our own joy, when we are thankful for what we have, when we let it be ... we release ourselves from the anxiety of trying to make everything perfect. It gives us the ability to be at peace with ourselves and with others. It allows us to celebrate whatever the celebration is. My wish is that you allow yourself to simply enjoy.

What I also wish for everyone is peace, happiness and to "have a merry little Christmas" even if you celebrate something different this time of year.

Stay inspired my friends!!

Giving Tuesday

“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful then a thousand heads bowing in prayer.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Many people ask, what more can I do that embodies the spirit of the holiday season. We sometimes struggle with the question as we set about searching for the greatest or coolest Christmas gift for our loved ones. The question gets lost in our busy plans of making our Christmas perfect.

The knowledge of others in need lay on the edge of our thoughts, likely to be forgotten in our search for the "spirit" of the season. In fact it can be completely lost in the trappings of cyber-sales and holiday parties. We try to do what is right for others since the true meaning of the season weighs upon our hearts.

We can fall short short but here is an idea and it is called #GivingTuesday.

Giving Tuesday is referred to as the Tuesday after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It is meant to create an international day of charitable giving at the beginning of the Christmas and holiday season. A simple and easy way for you to get into the giving spirit.

A great idea, giving to a charity.

You can make food donations, give money to organizations that help others. You can buy/give clothing, gifts and a whole range of other things needed by families not as fortunate as us. Many times it is the simple doll or toy truck that can mean all the world to a young child. A gift that will fill the heart of the one receiving it and it will fill your heart as well.

This time of year and throughout the year as well, consider giving to a charity, to others, to your brothers and sisters in your community.

Stay inspired my friends.

Unicorns Are Real

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." -Henry David Thoreau

Recently I was introduced again to unicorns. Yes, those white horse-like animals with a long horn. A creature described in folklore and Bible as an animal with an un-tamable nature, an extremely wild woodland creature that is a symbol of purity and grace.

It is through my grand-daughters I have been reminded of this creature. I have been reminded of beautiful innocence in which anything is possible. Of not being bound by cruelty or conformity. That yes, we can dream big and pursue that which we want in life.

We go through life where we are told as children to have an imagination that should never cease. We then become adults and are told to conform to the rules of everyday life. Our imaginations are said to get in the way of our work, of raising our families and of living life.

But the power of imagination, of our dreams, remains a force in on our life that can be harnessed to achieve things normally thought impossible.

Dreaming of big and greater things in your life requires change. It requires work. It requires doing the things necessary to place you in a position to achieve. It also requires ridding your mind of negativity. It requires taking a chance at failure, at ridicule and at rejection.

And as you continue to persevere through the toil of this work, you will find your dream just on the other side. It is there waiting for you. It is in a place many people will never venture.

All it takes is your imagination.

All it takes is believing in unicorns.

Stay inspired my friends!

You Can Choose

"Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant." – Robert Louis Stevenson

So this coming week is a national election here in the United States on November 6th. By now you have probably seen all of the political commercials and decided one way or another how you will vote. And I would encourage you to exercise your right to vote.

After seeing those political advertisements, you are likely in a state of believing everything is in a state of upheaval and selecting either candidate will bring our world to an end. Things are bad, the other person will make it worse and yes, we are all drawn to train wrecks.

These feelings that get pumped up can also bleed out into our everyday lives. We can start to feel everything is bad. The traffic is always bad, our boss is always bad, the cashier at the grocery is always bad, bad, bad, bad and it can even start to permeate into our homes.

And maybe today was just a bad day. We all have them but the better days always out number the days. Life is not an eternal train wreck unless you have decided to make it that way. But you can be a change agent in how each day ends.

You can choose to help others.
You can choose to comfort people.
You can choose to help feed, cloth or lift up those in need.
You can choose to merciful by giving forgiveness unconditionally.
You can choose to stand up for those mocked for having different beliefs.
You can choose to be the peacemaker, to let it go and not to stoke anger.
You can choose to stand up for someone being bullied, teased, or tormented.
You can choose to do these things without expectation of anything in return.

Yes, you too can choose to make the world a better place. And in doing so the world will be a better place for you as well.

Stay inspired my friends!