The Day After Christmas

This Precious Plant

“We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.”

John Lennon

The day after Christmas always requires adjustment. Most of us have had twenty-four or more hours of family and friends, of gratitude and gifts, and being together around food, and fondness and memories. We've had our annual tonic—a love fest of good will. Then we pack up the presents, bag up the paper and ribbons and get back to our everyday lives. Maybe a little stardust lingers around us, maybe a hopeful awareness of the possibility that things are different now.

The holidays offer a little break from all the chaos and mayhem the world is shouldering at the moment. At church on Christmas eve, the minister reminded us that as bad as we think things are, they don't hold a candle to the Civil War, or either of our World Wars. Today we simply can't escape knowing about everything that happens all day and everywhere. Our 24-hr news cycle is responsible for raising the anxiety level more than the actual circumstances on the ground.

So now, we go back to “street life.” What can we take with us? We can take that precious plant John Lennon referenced above. We can take the love we've received, nurture it, and dole it out throughout the year. We can tap into the Spirit of Christmas anytime we want, and we can sprinkle a little bit of stardust on whomever we meet. That's what it's all about—that baby, that star, those shepherds, and angels and wise men. They came to remind us that beyond the clash of battle, beyond the noise and the chaos, there is peace that passes understanding. We carry it in our hearts.

                                                                        In the Spirit,

                                                                              Jane