Make Time for Joy!



image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici/FreeDigitalPhotos.net



'Tis the season for racing around frantically tying up loose ends; grabbing forgotten gifts, wrapping until your fingers ache, baking like a maniac, cooking like mad, cleaning, mailing cards, making calls, running your kids all over town!  Its enough to make any parent turn a bah-humbug eye on the whole holiday season.

That's why it is so important to make it a priority to carve out a few moments each day as you prepare for your holiday to remember the joy of the celebration.  It doesn't need to be a formal meditative ritual; just try to find one thing to rejoice in each day; for example, today I rejoiced that my daughter knew all the words to her song in the Christmas Program at church and that she sang with enthusiasm and love.  Some days it's even more basic than that though; some days joy is simply found in making someone smile, or helping out a stranger in need, or just in spending time with friends and family.

So embrace the spirit of the season, and as you head out to finish up everything on your to-do list, remember to leave room for love, laughter, and joy!