The day before Christmas Eve is one of my favorites. The following two days are always busy. Today seems like a quieter time to enjoy the season, the music and the message.
I saw the bumper sticker today, "Let Peace Begin With Me".
I began thinking of the Christmas songs we hear each year. We sing, "next year, all our troubles will be miles away". But we sang the same song last year and the years before that. Yet, our troubles remain as close as the next moment.
We sing of "Peace on Earth", but we know peace will only come upon our final day of judgment.
Where then do we find the peace of which we sing, or the freedom from trouble which we desire? As with all things in life that truly count, a peaceful heart will only come from within.
Peace will come when we accept ourselves as unique individuals, each with our unique blessing.
Peace will come when we accept others without prejudice of any kind, not merely a tacit acceptance to which we pay lip service, but acceptance without reservation or condition.
Peace from within will often require making a stand for what we know to be right, knowing it may not be popular with coworkers or friends.
Peace may entail becoming an advocate for those unable to speak for themselves. The needs are many.
Peace will not come by self promotion, or allowing our deeds to give us an inflated sense of importance.
Ultimately, peace will come when we accept the true message of Christmas, "For unto you is born this day, in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ The Lord".
Once we accept the real meaning of Christmas, our view of the world, and ourselves is forever changed. At the very least, there can be "pockets of peace".
As the bumper sticker said, "Let peace begin with me".
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
December 19, 2006
This is the time of year when a project called Room In The Inn is quite active. Various churches, including ours, take in homeless neighbors for a night to provide a good meal and a warm bed. For those who prepare a meal, or act as servers, it's a small contribution which probably has as much meaning to the volunteer as it does the recipient.
It was good to hear a local television station is taking part by collecting donations.
During a recent cold snap, the Charlotte Urban Ministry was short 1000 beds. A local church opened it's doors and took in 200 women.
Clearly, the need remains greater than the resources. The effort gets most attention in winter months, especially around Christmas. The problem is year round.
Last night was the Time Out Youth meeting, which included GenderSpace. I have said before how the young folks impress me, so I won't belabor the point. They are too cool.
Our support group Christmas party was this past Saturday night and a whole lot of fun. My GG friends, Melanie and Stephanie attended again this year. They always enjoy meeting my other friends. It's fun when your friends from two parts of life have an opportunity to say hello to each other.
I don't vent very often, so this will be as close as I come. It has eternally bothered me when people in the TG community have an elevated perception of their importance to the community. I am not speaking of anyone in my immediate circle of friends, nor my support group. Now and then we see people who, in each conversation, feel compelled to recite their resume'. It is not new.
In my view, the greatest contributions are made by those who live their lives in such a way as to be an example to others, or who show their care for others in any number of ways. I am priveleged to know several of those people now, to have knowledge of others and to be aware there are others whose names will never be known. To those good people, each of us is indebted.
It was good to hear a local television station is taking part by collecting donations.
During a recent cold snap, the Charlotte Urban Ministry was short 1000 beds. A local church opened it's doors and took in 200 women.
Clearly, the need remains greater than the resources. The effort gets most attention in winter months, especially around Christmas. The problem is year round.
Last night was the Time Out Youth meeting, which included GenderSpace. I have said before how the young folks impress me, so I won't belabor the point. They are too cool.
Our support group Christmas party was this past Saturday night and a whole lot of fun. My GG friends, Melanie and Stephanie attended again this year. They always enjoy meeting my other friends. It's fun when your friends from two parts of life have an opportunity to say hello to each other.
I don't vent very often, so this will be as close as I come. It has eternally bothered me when people in the TG community have an elevated perception of their importance to the community. I am not speaking of anyone in my immediate circle of friends, nor my support group. Now and then we see people who, in each conversation, feel compelled to recite their resume'. It is not new.
In my view, the greatest contributions are made by those who live their lives in such a way as to be an example to others, or who show their care for others in any number of ways. I am priveleged to know several of those people now, to have knowledge of others and to be aware there are others whose names will never be known. To those good people, each of us is indebted.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
odds & ends
I must be in the spirit of Christmas. I'm finally enjoying 'Holly Jolly Christmas' by Burl Ives. That's a sure sign for me.
I probably won't see my children this year. I haven't seen my daughter since last year. She got what she wanted financially and hasn't seen fit to visit since last Christmas. I called my son, but haven't heard from him...yet. I will read again what I say about letting go.
I made a bit of a mistake last night. I decided to look at some very old photographs of my family. These go back many years. I found one of my ex holding my six month old son in the back yard. It got to me in a major way. I won't be doing that again for a while. My emotions are running rampant these days.
Last Monday evening was the Time Out Youth potluck social. It was at a coffee house and a lot of fun. Some of the young folks performed original poetry and musical compositions. I read the piece I wrote on The Transgender Day of Remembrance in November. Some of the people seem to appreciate it, which makes me feel good.
I'm one of the volunteers, but I think I'm the one who gets the most benefit. The maturity of these young people is in stark contrast to my life as a teen. I told them I know people who have spent a lifetime trying to find their way. They have already done it.
There is a new transgendered character introduced on 'All My Children'. I've set the DVR a few times to get a feel for it. So far, I am underwhelmed. I have not seen a lot of depth to this character so far. There truly is no pun intended there.
I probably won't see my children this year. I haven't seen my daughter since last year. She got what she wanted financially and hasn't seen fit to visit since last Christmas. I called my son, but haven't heard from him...yet. I will read again what I say about letting go.
I made a bit of a mistake last night. I decided to look at some very old photographs of my family. These go back many years. I found one of my ex holding my six month old son in the back yard. It got to me in a major way. I won't be doing that again for a while. My emotions are running rampant these days.
Last Monday evening was the Time Out Youth potluck social. It was at a coffee house and a lot of fun. Some of the young folks performed original poetry and musical compositions. I read the piece I wrote on The Transgender Day of Remembrance in November. Some of the people seem to appreciate it, which makes me feel good.
I'm one of the volunteers, but I think I'm the one who gets the most benefit. The maturity of these young people is in stark contrast to my life as a teen. I told them I know people who have spent a lifetime trying to find their way. They have already done it.
There is a new transgendered character introduced on 'All My Children'. I've set the DVR a few times to get a feel for it. So far, I am underwhelmed. I have not seen a lot of depth to this character so far. There truly is no pun intended there.
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