Roots, The Traditions of the Season

 Joe is a wise man and a nice guy who has the knack for saying just the right thing.   A few weeks ago he told me that to blossom we need roots.   I have always thought of myself as a little rootless and his comment made me ponder what that meant and if it was really true. When I took a look around I realized that I had actually put down very deep roots without knowing that’s what I was doing.  That’s a good thing because Joe's right. We need roots and traditions and rituals are roots that ground us to the deepest part of ourselves and give voice to our soul. When we participate in traditions we are reminded that we are loved and that we belong.  Traditions connect us to community and give our lives richness.  Traditions are also living things that need to change and evolve for them to continue to be meaningful. There are some traditions that are better left behind and new ones that need to be created depending on the season of your life.

Being single means I am free to create rituals and holiday traditions that reflect my spiritual life and its needs. It’s easier for me to find my emotional and spiritual balance because I’m not driven by the shoulds and musts of the world. Revel says it’s really because I’m spoiled and am living the life.  He has a point,but it’s my life and I want to make it glorious.  A few years ago I stopped putting up a tree because I don’t have kids, hate the process and don’t have a good place for it. I do, however like the tradition of putting evergreens in my home and create small altars around my home filled with evergreens and candles.  So, here I am, surrounded by altars dedicated to this, the most holy of seasons when we are reminded of the power of love in our lives and the world. This season of love in action is the time we give free reign to our souls. Our hearts soften and deepen with love, reminding us that we are spiritual beings first whose purpose is to love each other.

Because I don’t have kids or a family it would be easy to skip the whole Christmas experience. I would be missing something vital if I did that though. When I take the time to participate in traditions I open my heart and life up to something greater than myself.   I celebrate Christmas because I am a Christian. I participate in the traditions of the season because I am a human being, but that’s not all I am.  I am a deeply loved child of God whose birthright it is to love and be loved.  Dale Evans said, “Christmas is love in action, my child. Every time we love, every time we give its Christmas.”   Here’s to Christmas now and throughout the year to come. Merry Christmas everyone.






                                       
                                                     
                             

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Gift of the Ordinary

Image
    The greatest joys are in the small ordinary moments of our lives. It’s watching someone we love sleep, a cup of tea on a cold day, a thick mat when you step out of the shower. I’m finding that it takes courage to live in the fullness of these moments these days. Not because they don’t exist, but because we are bombarded with messages that tell us who we are and what we have is not enough. We are told in a hundred different ways that we don’t measure up, that the world is not safe, and something bad is just around the corner. It’s fear at its most insidious best. And I get it.  I get that we’re afraid, and I understand why. I’m not living under a rock. When I did my 90 Day No Negativity Challenge I learned one thing for sure, it’s either fear or love, baby. Fear is a soul sucking joy stealer that brings out the worst in people. We destroy our bodies and relationships, get into debt up to our eyeballs, and we test our poor children to death.  We finger poi...
Read more

Are You A Tootler?

Image
    Have I mentioned that I love my job? What other job lets you to literally touch the future? Where else do you get to read some  great books that you miss as a grown up? And let’s not forget recess, yeah, let’s hear it for recess. When was the last time you hit the playground? Eight year olds are fun to hang out with. My kids work hard and know how to have fun and they like my music! How cool is that? There are trade offs though.      You know the stocks the Puritans used? I’d bet you a dime and a smile that an eight year old came up with them.   Eight year olds have a very black and white sense of justice which translates into a whole lot of tattling.   They would sell their mother down the river and not blink an eye doing it.   I want to support their developing morality and be a model of that for them but mostly though I want the tattling to just stop ‘cause it is driving me bonkers! That’s the honest truth of it.     Now, ...
Read more

It's a Choice

Image
    Christmas is two days away.   The house is cleaned, decorated and the presents are wrapped. I’ve made brownies, six batches of Heath Bar Crisps, Potato chip cookies and I’m headed out the door to the farmer’s market to pick up the ingredients I need for   Christmas breakfast and Tim’s Ginger Cookies. You can never have too many cookies especially when you eat them with champagne for dinner.   I’m diggin’ myself and lovin’ my life. I am truly blessed.   I’ve always been blessed and deeply loved. It’s always been there even if I’ve haven’t been aware of it.  Keeping free of negativity helps me see the blessings that are in my life and there are more than I can count. Keeping free of negativity is a way of wiping mud from my eyes. It’s amazing how much goodness there is in the world when you can see clearly.      “Negativity is an addiction to the bleak shadow that lingers around every human form ... you can tra...
Read more