Tis the season for Hallmark movies, making cookies, shopping, and general crazy. Life can move buy so fast in the pursuit of our “perfect holiday”.
My favorite memory growing up was going to church with my grandma the weeks leading up to Christmas. Sunday school, church bazaar, cookies and cocoa after service….the smells and the atmosphere seems magical in my memory. There were not many kids that I remember at her church. There were plenty of older members that always had a gift, candy, cookies, or simply loved on my brother and I. It was like a building full of grandmas. The community was overflowing with Christmas Spirit. It could have been right out of a Hallmark movie.
Do you have a magical childhood memory? Maybe it was not so great and you would like to change it up for your kids. Hallmark movies are perfect plots for turning the mistakes of the past into blessings for the future. How does that fit into your holiday season in the midst? In the midst of real messy, real busy, real tiring life. No pausing for dramatic plot lines or nice endings wrapped up with a kiss under the mistletoe.
If I was going to title my own Hallmark movie, it would be “Let There Be Peace and Love in the Midst of the Crazy”. My favorite part of my grandma’s church Christmas was the singing. They were a church that loved their “old” traditional Christmas hymns. And they sang it out. Every. One.
To this day “Let There Be Peace on Earth” brings me back to that church basement with macrame blankets, cookies, and candy canes. The song is powerful. It is the story of what it could look like if we chose to love each other in the midst. In the midst of traffic, long lines, impatience, and the race to “get what we want”.
The lyrics read:
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
With peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
And let it begin with me.
Read more: Christmas Song – Let There Be Peace On Earth Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Let it begin with me.
Whatever your past, let love lead you into the blessings of your future. Reach out to your family, friends, and community to take a moment to show love to one another. It could be a simple jesture of a smile or returning a harsh word with a kind one.
Last week I asked you to consider kindness. The act of kindness breeds more love in this world. It is that simple. I do not need you to think like me, be like me, look like me, or live the life I live. We all need a little more love, kindness and grace in our lives. As we end 2018 this week, what will that look like to you? What will be the title of your Hallmark movie?
Let there be peace on earth.
Let it begin with me.
Merry Christmas!
Love,
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