I received this in an email today and liked it so much I wanted to share it with you.
Giving and Receiving
As humans, we are often creatures of excess. Bigger is better (size does count, doesn't it?), more is better, and excess is even better than more. The biggest house, the tallest tree, the most gifts under the tree; we may find ourselves at times in a battle with the universe, one of your own making, to prove that in our excess we are more generous, more successful, - and more mortal.
Surround ourselves with things and you stave off mortality; this is how the thinking seems to unfold for some. It is as if death will be unable to find us if we are hidden beneath a layer of material things.
During this holiday season and especially on the day that many celebrate the birth of Christ, on a day that has become a pageant of giving and receiving, take a few moments to consider what is "real." If you stripped down your life to what is most important, most real, what would be left? Relationships. Not houses. Not Cars. Not those ribboned gifts under the tree. People would be left. Knowing this, celebrate your relationships today: their birth, their existence, their importance in your life.
Tell your loved ones what they mean to you today. Celebrate the joyful, hopeful essence of human relationship; honor it by giving a voice to how you feel.
We would like to express to you how important it really is to share how you feel with those you love. There is so much we wish we could have said to Jess before he got hurt. I would give anything to have a conversation with him again. I do feel blessed that we did have many heart to heart discussions. But now, I miss those discussions so much. I miss his voice. I have his message saved from his cell phone that I can play whenever I think I have forgotten the tone of his voice.
So, please let those you love know how special they are today. Tell them how much they are loved this holiday season. There is no finer gift!
