  Spiritual
This week: Season of Joy and Goodwill Edited by: Kit  
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Goodies and gifts, baubles and trees, candles and candy... whether we're religious or not, many of us love this time of year. And whilst it's a bit boring and tedious to go on about how that's "not what it's all about", that's not what it's all about.
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December is upon us. For many people that means looking forward to the Holiday season, whether for the spiritual celebrations, spending time with family and friends, buying and receiving gifts, or simply to have some relief from the dark time of the year (depending on where you are in the world). Quite a few of us like all of the above, and a nice dinner on top. Though this year I am not really looking forward to the Holidays. My family is fractured, I'm pretty broke, and it feels as though the older I get, the quicker time flies by, so my internal clock says that we can't possibly be coming up to Christmas again.
I think I'm going to have a quiet one. I don't own any Christmas decorations, can't afford a tree, and the only people I'd like to celebrate with are too far away from me. That all sounds quite miserable, but I don't actually feel sorry for myself. I have a roof over my head and food on the table, I do have people who love me, and to not have a big feast is no great loss.
When I do feel somewhat downhearted this time of year, I look to people like my grandfather and his wife, and all the hard work they do. They run programs that look after those in far more need than I am in. They visit the elderly, the ill and the disabled. They provide the homeless with food and shelter and give vouchers and food parcels to those who can't even put up a basic meal for their families. Every year they look after the needy in their area and beyond, even offering international assistance. They've been doing this for some 35 years and they don't earn a penny from what they do. It's all done out of love and faith.
I admire them all the more because their group is so small these days. My grandfather suffers from heart problems, Parkinson's, diabetes and a variety of other ailments. He is in a wheelchair. His wife has a brain tumor. Many people have recommended them to give up their work, but they keep on going. As long as the need is there, as long as they possibly can, they will provide help, comfort and company to those who require it. I admire that, and it puts things in perspective for me. No matter our situation, with enough love, with enough faith, and with a good dose of determination, we all can make a difference to others. In doing so, perhaps we will bring some light into our own lives in turn.
So this year, I think that instead of the usual Holiday celebrations I will look for a way to make a difference, too. Isn't it supposed to be a season of joy and goodwill? Isn't it about more than shiny baubles and frantic shopping? Not that those things aren't nice. Well, maybe not the frantic shopping but I do love the writing of cards and the wrapping of gifts, and I spent ages last year baking cookies and making chocolate truffles.
The point is, though, that whether you can or can't celebrate the Holidays in that manner, whether you're religious or not, this time a year seems to bring out some goodness and kindness in people. A bit of extra faith in humanity. The desire for a better world. Isn't that at the heart of our most beloved Holiday stories?
Those sentiments can be tapped into. They can be channeled into helpful deeds, great and small. When thinking on what I can do with my limited means, I thought about the elderly lady who lives across from us. She lost her husband some years ago, and her children live far away. Last year I brought her some of my cookies and chocolates. Maybe this year I can stop by for a while, if she would welcome it. Offer her some company. Or I can invite her over.
I can bury some grudges from the last months and reach out to my family, and especially my sister. She is about to give birth and she might need me - becoming a mother for the first time must be daunting. Not being a parent myself, I cannot offer any advice on baby stuff, but then again, she'll probably receive so much advice that it might be a relief to have someone who's simply there.
I can go through my belongings and see what I no longer need, and donate it to charity shops.
And I can stop singing Christmas songs. I think people will be grateful for that as I have the kind of voice that drives even my cats up the wall.
Small things. Nothing major, nothing highly significant, and nothing compared to what people like my grandfather and his wife do, but it's something, which is better than nothing, and it's a way of showing my appreciation for everything that I have and am thankful for.
However you plan on spending the Holidays, I wish you joy, merriment and inspiration.
kittiara
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The Spiritual Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in! 
shepherd46 - I enjoyed reading this edition of your newsletter and agree that we do need to question what we see and hear and if we are inclined, to state those views to those who would listen and help change or alter the ideas...Toni
Thanks very much, Toni. I fully agree!
~~~
Quick-Quill  - At an early age I taught my daughter to be aware of "different" people. They are the same, just different and to stand up for them even when others are afraid of that difference. I was pleased when her teacher told me that Lani was the one who poured oil over troubled waters. She always came to aid of others who were being picked on and stood up for them, telling the bully it wasn't nice to say those things for others. To this day she is someone I am proud of when she stands up for others that are "different."
Lani sure sounds like someone to be proud of! You have taught her well .
~~~
arrwyn - Negative words seem to sink in faster than the positive ones? Look to physics. Electrons move faster than protons.
It may not only take years but professional assistance to overcome negative self images fostered upon you by the comments of others, especially significant others like your own parents. (Voice of experience)A great way of handling this is to achieve the self knowledge that you really do not "care" what others say about you, that you know their opinions speak more about themselves than about you even if the comment is aimed at you. I send a book off to a reader service/agent who reported they respond in 6 weeks. 13 weeks later I get a rejection letter that said what I had sent them was 600 pages of "notes". The reviewer (who was not the man in charge) was telling me try again but not here. That editor had done me a tremendous favor in a rather cryptic way. That's when I stopped letting criticism affect me unless it was intelligent and constructive.
I also have that experience with my family, and others around me, and you are correct. I have had to learn, and am still learning, to not be so affected by others' attempts to bring me down. It's tough. Negative words do sink in faster than positive ones. They stick, and enough of them, from too many directions, can have a lasting effect.
But in the end, if we know that we're not like others portray us, if we know we are doing the right thing and are doing our best, the best we can do is to keep our chin up and stand tall.
Constructive advice, yes. Destructive words, no.
Well done for overcoming .
~~~
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Spiritual Newsletter Team
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Spiritual: December 04, 2012 Issue [#5400]
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