Spread joy, give thanks

Today is a time of joy and thanksgiving. Joy for all people – the rich and powerful, the poor and powerless, the empowered, the Jews, the Gentiles, men, women, children, the young and the old – everybody. Each one of us is entitled to experience the extreme happiness for the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Christmas brings the joy of sharing, of getting together with old and new friends, of rediscovering the great value of family and spirituality, and of realizing that happiness and good tidings do not necessarily come in wrapped boxes filled with material things.

Christmas is thanksgiving. It provides us a sensible motive to look back at year 2002 in gratitude for God’s many gifts and blessings. It allows us the opportunity to look at this most wonderful time of the year as a day of delightful celebration, of miracles, of reflection on the many amazing graces that came our way, of God’s steadfast nature, and of gratefulness for the special occasion of spiritual enrichment and personal renewal.

To a lot of us, Christmas can be hectic and even frustrating, especially if we are not able to manage our time, resources and emotions correctly. If we see ourselves in a rut this yuletide season, consider meditating on the following focusing statements. They might just chase away the jaded goblins that steal away the joy from our hearts.

Admit that we are less than perfect
Ask for God’s forgiveness, accept it, and live it
Reconcile a long-drawn conflict with someone
Reminisce a lesson in life our parents and teachers taught us
Walk early mornings to complete the Simbang Gabi novena
Feel the cold December wind
Ring the church bells, sing with a choir, and wish for the star
See the beauty of Christmas from the eyes of the poor and downtrodden
Savor freshly cooked puto bumbong and bibingka
Drowned with hot salabat
Smell, taste the season’s delicacies
Curl up with a good book
Read Dicken’s "A Christmas Carol"
Recite a favorite piece of poetry
Memorize O Holy Night or The Little Drummer Boy
Enjoy a child’s smile, a mother’s kiss, a father’s embrace
Run an errand for dear Lolo and Lola
Review albums of family portraits, faded
Give presents and expect nothing in return
Listen to Handel’s Messiah
Discover peace of mind
Go to sleep with happy thoughts
Advocate for human rights and international understanding
Fulfill the dream, the wonderful moment of "peace on earth"
Remind ourselves that "peace begins with me"
Cope with hardships, rejections and hopelessness
Teach young minds, guide them as they thread life’s bumpy road
Rekindle the belief in a higher being
Realize the King of Kings came for us to die on the cross to save us
Toast a whole new year
Fear not what tomorrow brings

The Other Jesus

On a personal note. Christmas is, and continues to be a day of rejoicing. On top of the worldwide celebration of the coming of our Redeemer, it also happens to be the birthday of my father, named Jesus (pronounced Hesus). This is the second year of our family’s get-together where he will be missed. He was invited to join the Almighty on July 4, 2001. Let me share with you this piece of poetry as a tribute to Hesus’ 80th birthday. This was submitted to Barbara Gonzales "as a requirement in her Joy of Writing class –

Hesus

This is a poem to my father Hesus
Whose frame was small and frail
But everything about him was big and hale –
Big heart, big mind, big dreams, big visions.
The biggest thing about Hesus was his voice.
Loud, punchy, authoritative, militaristic in its cadence.
Every word came out of his mouth with precision
His voice began to shrink when Hesus fell ill
The rush of words became nil
The unseen decibels started to fade
The reverberation died in the silence of the night.
Hesus is gone. But his booming voice lingers on.
Whispering what path to thread, where to head,
Who to be and how to see.
Hesus’ absence is as gigantic as the world,
But his guiding voice continues to show the road
His voice is our wind
It will remain to be until it awakens us
To be beside him again. Eternally.
Happy Birthday our dear Hesus!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

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E-mail at: bongo@vasia.com or bongo@campaignsandgrey.net for comments/questions.