Aligning with Grace

This time of year, I love listening to Christmas songs, as so many others do. One of my favorite is a song by Celine Dion, reminding us that love is really what this season is all about - and that we shouldn't save it all for Christmas. I have posted the link to a YouTube rendition of this song and I also include the lyrics here. Enjoy! And Advent and Christmas blessings to all of you! Don't Save it all for Christmas "Don't Save It All For Christmas Day" Don't get so busy that you miss Giving just a little kiss To the ones you love Don't even wait a little while To give them a little smile A little is enough How many people are crying People are dying... How many people are asking for love Don't save it all for Christmas Day Find a way To give a little love everyday Don't save it all for Christmas Day Find your way Cause holidays have come and gone But love lives on If you give on Love... How could you wait another minute A hug is warmer wh...

On the eve - of Christmas Eve , I arise at dawn and greet the morning down by the river which is now totally frozen over, for the first time in years. I sit in the biting cold and howling wind and offer prayers, my heart racked by conflicting and deep emotions as I prepare for the birth of God's son, in the shadow of a beloved friend's death... Inspirations and ideas come for a memorial service I will soon lead, for this wonderful yogini, who touched so many lives in my local yoga community... I make my way home to the stillness and quiet, to sit and meditate some more, mindful that this Season of Advent is almost over, and in a matter of hours, it will gracefully yield into the Season of Christmas ... Spontaneously, I feel compelled to go get coffee from McDonald's . For a long time this was an almost daily ritual for me, on my way to the river, at a time that was difficult in my life, but it is something I have not done now for a while... I arrive and am greeted by the b...

Yesterday, we received our first measurable snow of the season, and it was enough to wreak havoc in the Washington DC area. I managed to sub for one class, but the two evening ones were canceled. I slowly made my way home to a warm house, to nurture the sudden winter cold I have developed for the first time in years! Later this morning, I made my way down to the river which was mostly frozen and covered in snow. I could not tell where the water met the concrete of the boat launch, but in a few minutes I felt ice crunching beneath my feet, so I knew not to tread any further. Still, I watched while 3 guys carried their kayaks down to the launch area, donned dry suits and armed themselves with tools to cut through the ice. I considered that pretty risky behavior in my book, and told them to be careful... Today, with eight days remaining until Christmas , the "O Antiphons of Advent," take center stage in the liturgical calendar and readings, which are very beautiful and full of ...