Sheila Sims Iding
Ahh…’tis the season. The most wonderful time of the year! Deck the halls and all that. On this Christmas Eve we certainly can look back and see how we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. There is shopping to do, cards to address, shopping to do, cookies to bake, shopping to do, presents to wrap, shopping to do, parties to attend and still more shopping to do. It’s a busy time for sure. Days are filled with the busy-ness of the season and so are the nights. Hustle, hustle, hustle. Bustle, bustle, bustle.
And when we slow down from the shopping, the wrapping, the baking, the carding, the hustle and bustle, our minds are still racing. Running through lists in our heads. Gift we have bought…gifts still to buy. How many stocking stuffers do we need? What is the menu for dinner? Did I place that online order? Even when we sit and rest for a bit…our mind still races.
But as our mind races our heart reflects and we stop…actually stop…and remember before the hustle and bustle…there was calm. And before the craziness of late night wrapping, there was a silent night. And you pause and think about the silent moments of this special season and the calm it can bring.
There is a silence when you plug in the Christmas tree for the first time and that silence is repeated in the quiet of each morning. That quick, silent glance each time to take in the splendor of it all.
There is a silence as you watch the first snowfall catch the greens, the berries and the ribbon of your wreath outside. The first snow fall seems to be sent as a reminder that all is calm. All is bright.
There is a silence, for just a few minutes, as you read the daily prayer from your Advent book (and catch up from the prayer you forgot to read yesterday.)
There is silence as you force yourself to stop and quietly listen to Andy Williams singing O Holy Night…every word is part of a special song…a special story.
There is a silence as you read Christmas cards from last year that still linger in that Christmas card basket.
There is a silence as you visit the cemetery and wish you were taking presents instead of greenery and a prayer.
There is a silence after your morning run when you turn off the iPod and just take in the few Christmas lights of an early morning.
There is a silence in that church pew when they invite you to turn and reflect on the newly lit Advent candle.
There is a silence after hours in an airport terminal as you watch families reunite for the season and you wait patiently, quietly, for your own reunion.
There is a silence as you turn out the Christmas lights to end another day of this busy season and take your weary body and still racing mind to bed.
And as it nears the end of the season, you realize it is near the end of the hustle, bustle and busy-ness of this most wonderful time of the year.
As Christmas Eve approaches and all that was going to get done is now done, you can now rest. And your mind can rest. Your body can rest. And the loudness of busy-ness can be silent.
You can stop by the nativity and in a most quiet moment you can reflect on how silently He came to earth. There was no hustle and bustle, there was no decking the halls, there was no shopping or baking or carding or wrapping. But quietly and lovingly there was “the most wonderful time of the year”. The most wonderful time ever. It was a silent night. A Holy night. And all was calm. And all was bright.
Note: I borrowed this idea from Tim's blog today. http://timothyiding.weebly.com/timothys-blog.html His blog is theologically based. Mine...not so much. Mine is more life-based. But I do wish every one a Happy Christmas season and a wondrous celebration of this Silent Night. This Holy Night.