Merry Christmas! Amidst this special, yet busy time of year, make sure you take the opportunity to enjoy some of the festive events taking place in our communities. As I have mentioned in previous years, my two youngest sons (who really aren’t all that young anymore) love Christmas. We have an “After Remembrance Day” policy on Christmas decorating, so immediately after the local Remembrance Day service out came the decorations. (I now get to sort the storage room again). We had an extra strand of lights so my son decided it would be a “good idea” if we wrapped another tree. I found myself in a situation where I battled a decidedly rebellious tree branch. In the dark. Surviving the incident, Enmax can now capitalize on my son’s love of Christmas and my wife can remind me that the lights don’t “match”. My son is planning on where we can add more lights to our home for next season. I answer with a non-committal “we’ll see”.
On a recent clear night, I took my boys outside to see what I told them were “God’s” Christmas lights. I showed them numerous constellations, tried to tell them some of their related stories, (thank goodness for apps), and showed them the visible planets as we watched for shooting stars. It was a special time. The evening could have been used for catching up on some emails, but an opportunity arose to take some time with a couple of boys that often get the left-over energy of their father.
The Christmas season can be a crowded and intense time. Numerous social activities, shopping, and meal preparations all create emotive pressures which cause us to lose perspective on what’s truly important. Our “responsibility” list can be long, clouding our minds from seeing the opportunities for genuine relationship, or the ability to speak positively into the lives of the people you encounter.
The winter solstice needs the lights that these relationships bring us. It isn’t just the physical darkness we face. It doesn’t take long in reading the news to see the uncertainty of the days we are in. This uncertainty may not be fully eradicated, but we can take a friend, find light on a dark night of the soul, and enjoy the mutual warmth of their company
From my family to yours,
Lowell Harder
