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For many couples, there “ain’t gonna
be no Christmas” this year!” Not everybody is resourced or privileged
with the opportunities of having loving and intact marriages, meaningful
jobs, excellent health and the other “goodies”, or should I say,
“fortunes”, of life. Christmas is supposed to be a time of cheer, joy
and celebration. Religious preferences, notwithstanding, it is a
symbolic “holy” day representing peace, hope, charity and love.
Hundreds of millions of dollars will
be feverishly spent by millions of husbands and wives, commemorating the
never-ending commercialism of the Christmas holiday season. Liquid
spirits will freely flow and “season’s greetings” will provide the
‘currency’ with which to embrace our loved ones and bid them our best
wishes.
It is true, of course, that some
couples will understand the real meaning and significance of Christmas.
They will know, deep in their minds, hearts and souls…through consistent
and appropriate actionable deeds…that Christmas is really an every-day
occurrence.
For the giving and receiving of
“gifts” are understood by such couples as tangible extensions of the
giving and receiving of those intangible qualities, within themselves,
which are freely given to and graciously received by themselves, as well
as to, and for, all others.
It is, perhaps, a sad commentary on
contemporary living that some couples seem to be smitten by an almost
contagious, insidious fatalism which permits transient emotional
vulnerability in the sharing of commodities and salutations, only on one
‘special’ day designated for such sharing. (So “gather round the
mulberry bush” and sing a song of glee… and find the presents just for
you…is there one for me?)
It is my belief, that to the extent
we permit ourselves, to gift ourselves, to receive ourselves, those
gifts we bring to bear, it is also the extent to which we can truly bear
our gifts, to ourselves, and also to and for others.
And when the experience of that
moment occurs, especially within a marriage, moment-by-moment, day in
and day out, the moment of that experience is what Christmas, I suspect,
is all about!
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