Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021 5:21 PM

Hi! 

So, today I cracked when I told my sister that our Christmas Dinner will be a meal we'll likely drop off, rather than share in person with loved ones. I thought I was being realistic, not emotional, about the dangers of me 'sharing space' with others. My compromised system does not have what it needs to resist infection of any kind, let alone Covid 19. It is what it is, and lamenting over it is a waste of energy. It won't make things better, rather, quite the opposite. What I bless will bless me and what I curse will definitely curse me. In this case 'Woe is me!' vs 'What CAN I do… for others?' is so obvious, it doesn't really warrant saying.

  We've just come home, as Santa & Nana Claus, from sharing so much joy with three little ones. They have not seen their mom for many weeks, because she's fighting for her life in hospital with cancer. Their grandparents are staying at their home, as 'dad' is at the hospital every day. So in light of that, one Christmas dinner, won't make or break us. Yes, the little ones were overjoyed at Santa's visit, filling our own hearts to overflowing.

  Then of course there's little Gracie who is undergoing more painful chemo treatment.

  How about all the folks still suffering from the devastation of floods & slides. Let alone our dear friends' families in Syria who struggle to find food, let alone the fuel to cook it. What are they doing for Christmas Dinner?

   So, not to focus on the doom & gloom of these tragic situations, but be encouraged that we can be part of a community who can do something for someone else, far worse off than we, even if prayer alone is our gift to them. By thinking of them, they definitely help us to put our 'challenges' into perspective and not whine about things we cannot change, but change what we can. Most of all, my attitude! 

     There's no shortage of endless negative events & certainly 'opinions' about everything surrounding this pandemic. For me, almost 5,000 new cases in 3 days is the most serious wake-up call, to do my best to be responsible in keeping myself and others safe. Certainly saying "I'm so done with this!" is cursing me, to not look beyond the 'curse' and spiral downward, and definitely not lifting me up.

  And yes, I've read Norman Vincent Peale's "The Power of Positive Thinking" (30 years ago), and everything he says God said 1st. It's a work in progress for sure!  It's my choice to be positive or negative. Today I choose to let this be my 'food for thought'!