Things to Make You Think
Today's topic of the ephemeral versus the lasting is summed up both in today's meditation and in the title of this blog, taken from that meditation.
Thanksgiving, as a holiday, seems to get lost in the shuffle between Halloween and Christmas if we pay attention to advertisers and local stores. It seems that retailers want us to believe that happiness can be bought, and if they open their doors on Thanksgiving, well, we should be that much happier, right?
You know, if you put the phrase "expressions of love for Christmas" into a search engine, the majority of "hits" you get will bring up cards and flowers. Instead of waiting for the thrill of things bought, we'd like to challenge you to be lovely. Wherever you are, find a way to express your love in a tangible fashion - whether that's volunteering your time at a senior center, helping pre-teens in making gifts for family, spending extra time with your kids or grandkids to help them understand what Christmas is truly about, teaching a class some craft that you know how to do, or finding someplace that needs help by typing into your web browser "volunteer at Christmas [your city/state]" - show that the love of God can shine through you as you express it to God's creation.
Something Fun for Advent
So many of our men and women in the Armed Services are far from home at Christmas. Think about sending a card and not only bringing some Christmas joy to them, but letting them know that their service is appreciated and not forgotten. The Red Cross has guidelines and the address on where to send things here.
Today's topic of the ephemeral versus the lasting is summed up both in today's meditation and in the title of this blog, taken from that meditation.
Thanksgiving, as a holiday, seems to get lost in the shuffle between Halloween and Christmas if we pay attention to advertisers and local stores. It seems that retailers want us to believe that happiness can be bought, and if they open their doors on Thanksgiving, well, we should be that much happier, right?
You know, if you put the phrase "expressions of love for Christmas" into a search engine, the majority of "hits" you get will bring up cards and flowers. Instead of waiting for the thrill of things bought, we'd like to challenge you to be lovely. Wherever you are, find a way to express your love in a tangible fashion - whether that's volunteering your time at a senior center, helping pre-teens in making gifts for family, spending extra time with your kids or grandkids to help them understand what Christmas is truly about, teaching a class some craft that you know how to do, or finding someplace that needs help by typing into your web browser "volunteer at Christmas [your city/state]" - show that the love of God can shine through you as you express it to God's creation.
Something Fun for Advent
So many of our men and women in the Armed Services are far from home at Christmas. Think about sending a card and not only bringing some Christmas joy to them, but letting them know that their service is appreciated and not forgotten. The Red Cross has guidelines and the address on where to send things here.
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