Good Mourning (12.25.24)
Why we matter.
For decades, the Wall Street Journal has honored the start of the holiday season by reprinting the same two excerpts, from the pilgrim account “The Desolate Wilderness”, written in 1620, and “The Fair Land”, written in 1960, for its Thanksgiving editorial. In the same tradition, I intend to repeat my “inaugural” Christmas post, from 2023, every December 25th. In so deciding, I have made minor editorial changes in keeping with my original intent.
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I hope the day finds you in good health, in good spirits, and good well-being.
But if not, here are some non-traditional holiday wishes I have for you.
If you are feeling unimportant today, I hope the person who makes you feel unimportant sees you, hears you, and recognizes you. Regardless of whether this happens, I encourage you to see, hear and recognize someone who might otherwise seem unimportant to you. This is one of life’s paradoxes: in being unseen by some, you acquire the power to see others.
If you feel a twinge of resentment, frustration or anger, remember that forgiveness is not something that you give to the other person, it is something you give to yourself. Visualize that feeling as a hot air balloon, filled with all the fire you can breathe into it. Grab the rope that secures that balloon to the ground and grip it tight - with every ounce of your strength. Then take a deep breath, and let go.
If you feel alone or sad today, I wish you courage. It’s not easy to face what you face, but know that I have my moments of loneliness and sadness too. It will pass, but you need to have strength. If you have no strength today, I hope the words below encourage you.
Whatever you may feel, remember you feel this way because you are wonderfully made, filled with complexity. Your heart yearns to understand why you sometimes feel insignificant, even though the miracle of your mind proves that you are not.
This is one of the most important questions you can ever ask yourself.
Here is my perspective on it. You are complex because you were made to do amazing things. That may seem hard to accept, especially if you’re not feeling great today. But you can do it. If you’re feeling small, then start with something small. After all, amazing things are simply the accumulation of many small things.
To develop this understanding, I first needed to put yesterday, and the old self, to death, and to start afresh. You could too, if you wanted to.
Today, of all days, is the perfect day.
If you are wondering why, you need only ask.
-J/Jn 3:3