Music is often comforting. Sometimes the sounds, sometimes the words, and sometimes who is singing. As for words, the third verse of “Away in a Manger” moves my heart every time.

Clearly this isn’t true, but it makes for a good humor now and then. This was in a restaurant in Paw Paw, Michigan.

These festive kitties.

The night is a time to rest, recover, and rejuvenate. Although I tend to be a night owl, I am always grateful for the moment I put my head on the pillow and close my eyes. Every time, I pray to wake refreshed for a new day.

A friend’s daughter use to put herself to bed from a very young age. She knew when she was done, and she would give us hugs and kisses, and go to bed. I might not be so wise as that little lady, but when I do give in to sleep, it is bliss.

A few times a year I spend a weekend scrapbooking with my fellow scrapbooking peeps. We scrapbook, talk, laugh, eat, sleep, read, and watch movies. I am grateful to these women who share a passion of preserving our memories on paper. Most are also women of faith. Most have pets. All are good of heart and brave of soul.

Christmas is not just a date or an event. It is a feeling. I have a joyous and warm feeling when I even just hear the word. Others probably have painful memories, so it jars them. Others may be torn between various memories. Others still may have no emotion toward it.

Even after the deaths of my father, niece, and other loved ones, it still held warmth, hope, and goodness. I may not have celebrated with as much gusto, or perhaps too much gusto hoping for the full feelings to come back and outweigh the grief.

It is not the memory of gifts or parties. It is the memory of family gathering around the dinner table and tree, the jokes and laughter, the singing of Silent Night at the end of the Christmas Eve service to candlelight, the movies and music, the twinkle lights and decorations, the time away from work and school without using vacation or sick time.

May Christmas yet to come bring you good things, such as peace, hope, joy, or comfort. At the least, a momentary distraction from grief, pain, or heartache. Come, there is room at the table for everyone.

A year or two ago, I attended ERACCE training. It’s getting to know who we are in society, what racism is, how to work to create a better world, and the importance of being an anti-racism activist. Caucus is where we gather once-a-month to work on ourselves and then take that out into the world.

I missed caucus tonight because I had to work late. I missed it. This time is only once-a-month, and as heart wrenching as it is, it is also heart lifting. We must work to change the attitudes and the laws. Do you know that as recent as four years ago Toyota was caught charging people of color higher rates? Single-digit years ago. But marriage allowed between the races? That’s only a few decades old. We can do better.

How is this possible? It’s possible in every industry. Our schools, our justice system, our healthcare, and the list goes on. We have come far, but not far enough. We continue to make rules to suppress people. It’s not acceptable human behavior.

One day, may we just be people. Let’s appreciate and honor our diversity; not punish one another for our differences. Without our differences, we would be a lesser world. The color of our skin – all people’s skin – is to be celebrated and treasured that God thought to make us a human rainbow.

This is the work Christ asked us to do: Love one another. Walk humbly. Love mercy. Love each other. In the Christian faith, Christ was the first ant-racism activist, and it’s His steps I choose to attempt to follow. Come and join us, the way is hard, but the reward is invaluable to your fellow men and women.

Okay, mostly fruit, but veggies too. Fruits are all natural, delicious, and healthy sweet treats. Sadly, apples, although plentiful on this apple orchard, are one of my least favorite fruits. Yet they are beautiful to photograph.

May your holiday include healthy treats.

Kindness feels underrated in recent years. Yet the world would stop spinning without it. I wouldn’t be able to go on. It comes from family, friends, and strangers every day of my life as a driving force for good in the world.

It is also just as vital to my survival to give kindness as well as to receive it. It makes my life brighter when I do something for someone else out of kindness; no expectation that it is returned, but perhaps hoping it is passed on. Acts of kindness give life value and purpose.

I believe that old addage: Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. For me, the kindness leads to beauty. There’s nothing like seeing a tired cashier’s face light up because you gave them a kind word, or a man laugh because a woman held the door open for him.

May kindness be part of your every day life, both the giving and the receiving with an open heart.

I am a titch OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Yet I know that life is not perfect. We are no longer in the Garden of Eden, so things go awry. Sometimes the best times are in the imperfections.

This was in a dressing room at Caroline’s Consignment in Portage. It was a wonderful reminder that I don’t have to be perfect, nor is it expected.

To do our best and be ourselves: that is the expectation. And doing our best? Not every day or all the time. We need down time in order to be able to do our best. Sabbath, we need sabbath: rest, calm, peace.

May you find sabbath, an hour a day, a day a week, or a full weekend a month. Do what you need to rest and refresh so that you can enjoy this wonderfully imperfect life.

Life Does Not Have to be Perfect to be Wonderful