Merry Christmas!

A thought on Christmas.

All year long we strive for joy and happiness, to live our lives on a level well above our current circumstances.

This is only natural. It is the human condition.

To me, TODAY is the big benchmark for a life well-lived. Each Christmas I look back 4 or 5 years and think about how I felt on those past Christmas Eves. What was going on with the kids, grandkids and all my friends and associates. I try to measure how far I have come, emotionally, spiritually and physically.

I take a few minutes to really THINK about where I want to be NEXT Christmas.

Which really gets me thinking.

If Christmas is all about LOVE, then what must I do to demonstrate my love to everyone I know... not just a few times when the time is right, but every day... in every action I take and every thought I think?

What must I do to truly love my neighbor as myself?

What must I do to love myself even more... so I can increase my capacity to love others even more?

If love is the answer, how can I live my next 4-5 years so that, when I look back to today, I have the peace of mind that comes from knowing -- truly KNOWING -- that my life is being measured by my capacity to love?

Better.

I can do better each day, striving to achieve my personal best a bit more often.

And learn to love myself even when I fail.

Maybe that's the message of the season.

Unconditional love.

Learn to love others by learning to love yourself -- blemishes, failures and all.

Next Christmas I will look back on today and proclaim, Joy to The World... I have been given the gift of love.

What a beautiful idea.

I have received a gift 2 thousand years in the making.

Merry Christmas!