Ex-Scrooge Me!
Tis The Season! A time where many of us are visited by ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, not unlike the well known character of Scrooge. Although a Scrooge I am not in my yearly Christmas traditions of gift giving and Holiday celebrations, I too was recently been visited by all three Ghosts. Here's how it happened...
It twas one week before Christmas as we feverishly looked for a tree for my 12 year old son to adorn in our home as well as the home of my mother's. The Saturday prior we enjoyed Altadena's annual tree lighting ceremony and after party, which really put us all in the spirit of Christmas. As I sat in attendance for our church's Christmas program on Sunday and watched the praise dancers, listened to Soloists sing to a full orchestra and of the course the choir was "Sangin" all my favorite Christmas Songs. I truly enjoyed the moments of the present and was equally reminded of the reason for this season. I felt humbled and blessed for simply being able to give to others during this season and it was at that moment in the present that I knew that life is a gift and that I needed nothing more.
Every Christmas also forces us to look back upon all the Christmases past. The happy ones, the sad ones, those in which we spent with family, those in which we spent alone, those in which we struggled, those in which we had abundance and most importantly those people who were present in past Christmases, who have since passed on. I visited my mother this past weekend who has been working diligently to remodel the house that I once lived in. She was excited to show me and my cousin who was also visiting at the time the results of her hard work. I reluctantly followed her to view it, knowing the memories and emotions it would bring forth, however, I did want to see what she had done with it as well as satisfy my own curiosity. As soon as I walked in I felt as if I had walked into the past. Although it the house was nearly empty, as I walked through each room as it echoed with voices from the past, laughter, crying, shouting and even smells from the kitchen. Suddenly I was overcome with thoughts of past Christmases there, some painful, some joyous, but most all of them laced somehow with love. Inside stood a tiny potted Christmas tree a symbol of new beginnings and fresh traditions. I fought tears as I left that house, feeling that I had truly been visited by the Ghost of Christmas past.
As I slept last night my dream gave me a glimpse into the future. I saw an old woman who's children had conveniently moved her "out of the way" into her own little house. The inside was quite tidy and nicely furnished. However, the house felt very cold and spiritually empty. Nobody came to visit this old woman, not even her children, or grandchildren. She had no husband and most of her day was spent sleeping. When she awoke her hair was unkempt and grey she immediately wanted a drink" to calm her nerves" as she stated. As she poured herself a drink she dropped the bottle and it broke. Somehow I was in her home to help her clean up the mess . She ate very little as was quite frail, not at all very pleasant to be around. Basically, she was an old drunk. I kept thinking to myself as I helped her that I never wanted to be like her. Then I awoke from the dream. As I sat awake in bed, I asked myself if I had just been visited by the Ghost of Christmas Future. Even though I was helping the woman in the dream was she really me? How can I change so that my future won't end up like that?
As I self- reflected all day I realized that we all have the ability to change ourselves, the way others see us, and our future. The power is within each of us! We have to stop blaming others for the things that we have been unable to achieve. Forgive those who have hurt us, so that we can move forward. Forgive ourselves for those we may have inflicted pain upon. Take responsibility for our own actions. Give Praise and Worship your God. Give to others unconditionally. Spend time with our children, the more time you spend with them during their early years, the more time they will spend with you during your later years. Always have a kind word for others. Do acts of charity often. Lastly, do what you Love and LOVE !!!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Thanks for Reading.
Many Blessings,
Angel ahhh.
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can!
~John Wesley
It twas one week before Christmas as we feverishly looked for a tree for my 12 year old son to adorn in our home as well as the home of my mother's. The Saturday prior we enjoyed Altadena's annual tree lighting ceremony and after party, which really put us all in the spirit of Christmas. As I sat in attendance for our church's Christmas program on Sunday and watched the praise dancers, listened to Soloists sing to a full orchestra and of the course the choir was "Sangin" all my favorite Christmas Songs. I truly enjoyed the moments of the present and was equally reminded of the reason for this season. I felt humbled and blessed for simply being able to give to others during this season and it was at that moment in the present that I knew that life is a gift and that I needed nothing more.
Every Christmas also forces us to look back upon all the Christmases past. The happy ones, the sad ones, those in which we spent with family, those in which we spent alone, those in which we struggled, those in which we had abundance and most importantly those people who were present in past Christmases, who have since passed on. I visited my mother this past weekend who has been working diligently to remodel the house that I once lived in. She was excited to show me and my cousin who was also visiting at the time the results of her hard work. I reluctantly followed her to view it, knowing the memories and emotions it would bring forth, however, I did want to see what she had done with it as well as satisfy my own curiosity. As soon as I walked in I felt as if I had walked into the past. Although it the house was nearly empty, as I walked through each room as it echoed with voices from the past, laughter, crying, shouting and even smells from the kitchen. Suddenly I was overcome with thoughts of past Christmases there, some painful, some joyous, but most all of them laced somehow with love. Inside stood a tiny potted Christmas tree a symbol of new beginnings and fresh traditions. I fought tears as I left that house, feeling that I had truly been visited by the Ghost of Christmas past.
As I slept last night my dream gave me a glimpse into the future. I saw an old woman who's children had conveniently moved her "out of the way" into her own little house. The inside was quite tidy and nicely furnished. However, the house felt very cold and spiritually empty. Nobody came to visit this old woman, not even her children, or grandchildren. She had no husband and most of her day was spent sleeping. When she awoke her hair was unkempt and grey she immediately wanted a drink" to calm her nerves" as she stated. As she poured herself a drink she dropped the bottle and it broke. Somehow I was in her home to help her clean up the mess . She ate very little as was quite frail, not at all very pleasant to be around. Basically, she was an old drunk. I kept thinking to myself as I helped her that I never wanted to be like her. Then I awoke from the dream. As I sat awake in bed, I asked myself if I had just been visited by the Ghost of Christmas Future. Even though I was helping the woman in the dream was she really me? How can I change so that my future won't end up like that?
As I self- reflected all day I realized that we all have the ability to change ourselves, the way others see us, and our future. The power is within each of us! We have to stop blaming others for the things that we have been unable to achieve. Forgive those who have hurt us, so that we can move forward. Forgive ourselves for those we may have inflicted pain upon. Take responsibility for our own actions. Give Praise and Worship your God. Give to others unconditionally. Spend time with our children, the more time you spend with them during their early years, the more time they will spend with you during your later years. Always have a kind word for others. Do acts of charity often. Lastly, do what you Love and LOVE !!!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Thanks for Reading.
Many Blessings,
Angel ahhh.
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can!
~John Wesley
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