~~~ HAPPY HOLIDAYS ~~~

Here is my greeting card to my beautiful followers  of this blog

To be perfectly honest, I do struggle sometimes with these holidays. I dislike the commercialism, beginning with "Black Friday" which I like to call "Evil Friday". It has become progressively worse when in the US you sacrifice family gatherings like Thanksgiving so you can wait in long lines from the night before to get discounts on material items for the holidays, etc. etc.   Retailers asking  family members  to give up their traditional family gathering  to open their stores for would be shoppers who hopefully will contribute to the financial salvation of their year coming to a end.

The concept of embracing their spirituality during this time of the year for the most part is ignored.

Below is a link to an older post on the subject:copy and paste it to your browser.

http://ancient-pnevma.blogspot.com/2011/11/black-friday-salvation-for-retailers.html  

What is really sad is that parents and family members feel the pressure of buying toys that the media on TV and  store front widows display which they cannot afford to buy. Credit cards thrown in our faces by banks with the temptation of a higher limits they offer, only to cause financial problems in the near future. We are inundated with images of media, not to find our spirituality, but what we can spend in material gifts.

The truth is ~~  gifts of infinite value cannot be found under a tree or hidden in the house for Hanukkah. They are gifts that cannot be found in a retail store.These gifts can be found only come in  the heart. You do not need a credit card. 

Sharing love and  compassion. Giving to others who do not have as much as you is the Native American belief. Share with those less fortunate as you

Trust me when I say I participated in this ritual when my kids were young. I was as guilty as anyone else.  

There are many beautiful ways to celebrate the Christmas  season. One of my favorite activities is visiting patients in a hospital. I remember going to the Children's Hospital on Sunset boulevard in Los Angeles, California when I was in the service of the church. There is nothing more inspirational than to spend time with Children in a hospital. Getting them to smile  while they may be in pain from the  reason they  are there is magical.  Serving in a soup kitchen for the homeless  is powerful. My kids were trained to donate time to philanthropic activities and belonged to an organization called  Sandpipers in the Southern California area. 

May your Holidays be full of Love ~~  Light ~~ health. The the most important gifts of life.