open your heart
and you will find
words
words of life
and light
hope and joy
words of darkness
and danger
anger and fear
choose your words wisely
choose life and blessings
and your heart will bloom
like a flower in winter
soft petals scattered like
bright seeds in the snow
let your heart speak gently
light as a feather
the brush of an angel
expressions of love
and gather all the light
into a quiet offering
that can melt darkness
and calmly quell fears
soothing all anger
transforming the tears
into heartfelt expressions
of all you are meant to be
among the gifts
and packages
the kids
and the pets
the relatives
and friends
the reindeer
and snowmen
among all the places
and empty spaces
of loved ones missed
of cheeks not kissed
the fatigue and frustrations
of holiday cheer
between Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year
the loneliness that echoes
in the chambers of the heart
sadness nipping
at the heels of joy
among all these things
it's easy to lose sight
of the Child that was born
on a dark winter night
let your heart be captured
by this story of old
let the ancient mystery
captivate your soul
let yourself believe
that heroes do exist
let yourself conceive
that God is in our midst
it only takes a moment
a slight shift of mind
to make a space
for the heart to embrace
heaven's Child divine
My dear friend, I hope you feel something good this Christmas.
I know there are so many things that keep you from experiencing happiness and joy. It is my wish that you can find a way to look beyond the aches and pains of this world and see, for a moment, the manifestation of glory.
May you have the eyes of a child again, and a heart full of delight.
May your hands hold the wrist, feel the pulse, and touch the heart of Christmas, and find that it is real.
May the Light spread warmth through every part of your soul.
And may you truly know how deeply and sweetly loved you are.
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”
What are you building today, my friend? A home, a career, a platform, a following, a family, a book of memories, a life? This winter, may you take the time to hold it up to the light before you continue to build.
if there is mold in an
interior wall you must
first tear down the wall
to get to the mold before
you continue to build
if there is a spot or blemish
that marks your soul
you must first wring it out
like a washing of clothes
before you continue to build
if there are tears obscuring
the blueprint of life
you must first call the guy
who can make it right
let him help you fix it
as you hold it to the light
before you continue to build
one small glow can chase
away shadows, a string of
lights can bring much cheer
therefore carry your
lamp in the palm of your hand
bless the world with light
once there was a girl
who sang to the night sky
and her song hung the moon
then the stars began to fall
softly, like snowflakes
into Winter's waiting hand
the earth plunged
into darkness
and the only light was
the melody that
carried the moon away
and on the darkest night
the people sang
and lit candles
across the world
Winter could not extinguish
their brightness, so
in a fit of rage
he flung the stars into the sea
where the melody carried them
up, up, up to the sky
and once again, the song
swung the moon
until Winter blew away
a trail of wet footprints
line the road leading
to the empty bus stop
the student long gone
on this last day of school
before the winter break
yet the mark of his
waiting remains etched
under my feet
I step in each footprint
as I walk along
unburdened
by heavy backpacks
and final exams
simply following a student's
footsteps as we each walk
our separate paths
along the same road
a quiet sense of
companionship
encircles my heart
as I continue past
the empty bus stop
leaving my own set
of prints for the next
traveler to follow
on his winter walk
let your body go soft
let your fist uncurl
unclench your jaw
let your breath flow
like water over stones
dissolving every fear
let your thoughts flow
like warm hope over
every bruise
every scrape
every sorrow
every ache
in this space
it is safe to wait
in this breath
is a seed of faith
let each thought hold
this grain of truth:
everything will be okay
everything will be okay
