May It Be A Good One

Tis the time of year when the temperatures are cold, days are short, and for some strange reason we are to be jolly, filled with laughter and good cheer. This has been a difficult connection for me to make for most of my life. I recall in my earlier years that Christmas brought with it a certain emotion. I think it was joy. Perhaps happiness. Who knows.

Then something happened. Over time this season began being a dark, lonesome time. Never sure I have ever identified what brought it on. Was it the fact that this time of year brings with it the least amount of sunlight? That is when the sun is actually peeking through the clouds. Or was it because this time of year is the beginning of the coldest part of the winter? Or is it because this time of year brings out the loneliness like no other time?

Here I sit a few days short of Christmas trying to figure out what my emotions really are. I get the dark part. At 11:11 Saturday we hit the winter solstice. That means that Saturday was our shortest day of the year. We are also trapped in a cold spell. As the headline stated, we are colder than the north pole. It is lonely. Why is that? So much hustle and bustle. So much activity. And yet we feel lonely. Strange but true.

Here is wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Whatever your situation may be I am hoping that you find it inside yourself to take a moment and enjoy what this time of year brings. Peace, joy and happiness. May the following poem bring you a sense of what this time of year is all about. Make it a good one.

Put your problems on probation
Run your troubles off the track,
Throw your worries out the window
Get the monkeys off your back.
Silence all your inner critics
With your conscience make amends,
And allow yourself some happiness
It's Christmas time again!

Call a truce with those who bother you
Let all the fighting cease,
Give your differences a breather
And declare a time of peace,
Don't let angry feelings taint
The precious time you have to spend,
And allow yourself some happiness
It's Christmas time again!

Like some cool refreshing water
Or a gentle summer breeze,
Like a fresh bouquet of flowers
Or the smell of autumn leaves,
It's a banquet for the spirit
Filled with family, food and friends,
So allow yourself some happiness
It's Christmas time again!
Bob Lazzar-Atwood