May the Joy of 2015 be the spark you need for Joy in Your 2016 It seems to be human nature to focus on the tough times and let the good times slip away unnoticed. I refuse to let that happen to me. I know it’s my choice. So, today, today as I think about…
The Work of Christmas Christmas – the actual day is past. Most of us have enjoyed our family gatherings and opened our gifts. My sister Anne told me today that all her decorations are put away as well. For her everything is back to normal. Not so at our house. We’ll have our tree up…
May I Receive God’s Love for Me Today. May I Pass It On!!! Rejoice! Rejoice! Whatever is going on in your life, rejoice. Give thanks for live. Rejoice that we believe in a God of love who has created us to learn. We can learn to love more and more deeply. We believe in a…
I Can Trust in God’s Extravagant Love. My daily reading tells me to trust in God’s extravagant love. That sounds simple but I know it’s not. This Christmas, in our family, the fear that comes with serious illness is threatening to wipe out our joy. I know we are not alone. There are many among…
Friendship Is a Special Gift. Yesterday, I enjoyed a lunch with two of my long-time friends. We talked. We ate. We exchanged gifts. We shared what was happening in our lives. For two hours we ignored the world around us and found comfort and laughter together. Today, Tom and I are having another good…
“Live the Story. Let Love Enter Your Heart.” Part of my preparation for Christmas is attending our Keene United Church’s live re-enactment of the Christmas story at Lang Pioneer Village. This year as always, the service was well attended. It’s become a Christmas tradition for many. Whether you claim no religion, or Christianity or another…
Joy is an action as well as a feeling. There are times when the craziness of our lives overwhelms us, when the problems of our loved ones leave our hearts aching, when the pain of this world – the destruction of the environment, the violence erupting around us feels like a burden too heavy to…
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Listen for Sounds of JOY. Yesterday morning I worshipped in the Unitarian Church of Montpelier Vermont. When we stepped inside the church, I wondered if it wasn’t already Christmas Eve. People poured through the doors around us. Joy filled my heart, this is church, I thought. Children and adults obviously excited…