christmas
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Jingle Bells
I have this memory of a church Christmas party when I was a child. The kids were invited to call out carols they wanted to sing. One boy shouted, "Jingle Bells." There was this moment of awkward silence, after which… Continue reading
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Christmas Greetings
"May you allow room for God to speak this holiday season." "May you draw close to God–and God draw close to you–this Christmas." My final Christmas card had been sent when I discovered these two lines in an old journal… Continue reading
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On a Snowy Night
I walk through my neighborhood on a snowy night a few days before Christmas, mulling over life and just wondering (as in, feeling wonder-struck) at the decorations and lights. Every now and then something I see triggers specific memories from my childhood, like the… Continue reading
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Bring It On
Advent means coming.The Promise on the way.Salvation crouching, encroaching.Deliverance, peace, joy slinking behind Home Depot, the tree, the punch bowl, ready to spring on us. I wait. I open and sit in silence.I settle into awareness.I allow space for Love.I relinquish my grasp, ready… Continue reading
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Blessing Tree
In 2002, the Christmas after my mom died (two years after my dad died and four years after my sister died), I did something uncharacteristically Dirk; I decorated my tree in stages: I assembled it one night, then put the… Continue reading