an ode to the holiday season

an ode to the holiday season


the holidays, by tradition, are a usual occurrence. they are not something that we have to wish for, or something that we can only imagine of more often than it playing out in reality. the holiday season is annual. year in and year out, the holiday season occurs and we take part in it, willingly or not. it often springs on us, with the everyday bustle of each individual's life causing the onset of it to be sudden. sometimes the holiday season is seen as a hinderance, with time lost from work and money lost to the celebration thereof, so forth and so on. in this way, the holiday season's purpose and vision becomes convoluted. people are jaded by the bells and whistles that now exist as influx for what began as a pure, unsolicited, time of cheer and thanks of birth. at present, the holiday season means more fiscally to many than emotionally and spiritually. the holiday season, our annual culminating experience, runs the risk of dying inside.

instead, the holiday season ought to be lauded unconditionally. the true spirit of the season is not the loss of occupational time or money, it is the girth of love and warmth. the true spirit is the celebration of all that has been given to us on this earth, as created by that which thrives in heaven, in a manner that presents the adequate amount of praise and recognition. the holiday season is a time to laugh and cry in the same breath, to remember those who you love and care for, past, present, and future, and wish them good health and happiness, it is the time to share, albeit monetarily or emotionally, to express your feelings to those who deserve it, to cherish, to hug, to help those around you in any way that you can to appreciate life and living and another year completed on your feet.

the year of 2005 has been filled with a myriad of positive and negative events that contribute to the continued building of the fabric of the human experience. tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, and wars alike have threatened to break our spirits and faith. they have tried the very core of the human heart and released levels of outpouring of emotions and helping hands across nations and ethnic boundaries, in efforts to help fellow man to understand that roads do not have to be straight and clear in order to be survived. 2005, for me, has restored much of my faith in being human. through it all, people continue to exhibit a sense of the central mores and values that keep the earth going. this brand of sentiment will continue to move mountains and make waves in oceans across the world. eventually, this same spirit may bring us to a height of world peace never previously experienced in this lifetime.

in the same breath, however, we have lost so many loved ones and people who have touched our hearts and lives from afar. many have made the journey from earth to the heavenly father and now watch over us from above. mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandmothers, grandfathers, cousins, uncles, aunts have all sacrificed this year and now exist in a better place. still, the pain of losing them to the earth has created a new sense of wealth - not in the monetary fashion but, rather, that of the heart. the knowledge of that which exists above, watching over us everyday, restoring our hearts and minds and giving us their warmth from afar, renews life, in a sense. there is simply never, ever a reason to not praise. i, myself, have had and continue to have moments where i feel hopeless and want to leave the earth. i have moments where the world seems too complicated and lonely and i, too, lose sight of all of the marvelous things and people that are the reasons why, despite my moments of death on earth, i continue to exist here. i continue here because i acknowledge that there is still much more work to do.

truth is, the spirit of the holiday season, that which i believe to be slowly dying, is a spirit that ought to exist all year round. it is a spirit that is essential to the well-being of daily life. look at someone next to you and around you and hug them, ask them how their day is going, and, chances are, you many find that either they, too, struggle, or that you should be more thankful for your own circumstances because they struggle a bit more than you. knowing that there is someone else out there who has it worse than you is not a ploy to make you feel guilty. instead, it is meant to remind you of the reality of the world and not only to remind you, but rather, to mobilize you, and help you to be proactive and try, as best as you can, to even the plain.

there is always more work to do and everyone is capable of it.

this season, do not think of the holidays as a time for gifts with bows and wrapping paper. think of it as a time to renew your spirit of giving. the human spirit is meant to pay it forward. pay it forward. make a difference that will resound from the rooftops of your body and radiate to bounds unknown. it is easier than you think.

you can donate money or food or clothing, if you have it. if you don't, you can still give.

donate love.

just as the maker created everything here on earth, and even that which exists above and beyond it for when your time on earth is finished, for us to embrace and make our own individual and human group experiences, each of us ought to pay it forward. jesus died to enable us to live. he leaves a legacy of his creations who, too, have died for similar purposes. those who have fought for equality and freedom and peace...those who continue the battles with a certain devotion that is indescribable by the limitations of the human language. it is only action that can truly express the sentiment.

this is what the holiday season is about. paying it forward. action instead of reaction. love instead of hate. heart instead of mind. after all, isn't that the best lesson to learn? isn't that the best single thing to take out of any given experience? the holiday season may come every year no matter what, but what is to become of the experience of the holiday season without these revelations? what if it isn't what it once was? then the whole experience is shattered. we would be remise without this time of year to restore that which has been strained all of the months prior. the holiday season seeks to replenish and nourish the mind, the heart, and, most importantly, the soul.

can you feel that?

i think it's the holiday season all over again.