Happy New Years Eve to all.  I wanted to close this year with a final blog of encouragement of eternal value.  When I started blogging this year in January, it was an act of obedience to what I felt God wanted me to do.  I had set a low bar of success of “if just one” person was ministered to through the words I felt impressed of by the Holy Spirit to write then there was success.  I have enjoyed joining with so many of you in working though issues of life this year.  You have encouraged me in so many ways, so I thank you from the depths of my heart.  I also want to thank my husband Darrell who patiently listened to each blog, discussed scripture with me, checked my usage of scripture and encouraged me along the way.  I want to give a big thanks to my five girls who have faithfully read and edited each blog so that my grammar and sentence structures were “sound.”  While I always prayed about what to write, God used a variety of conversations, situations, and discussions to lead me to each week’s topics.  There were so many times in writing, I thought I was going one way to end up with a completely different direction.  I thank God for His guidance always in every blog.
 
As I bring this year to a close, I have been praying about next year.  I have no word for the new year as of yet.  I know I don’t have to have a word, but I do feel God worked in my life through this year’s word being “trust.”  Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV) says, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord and whose confidence (hope, KJ) is in Him.”   This has been a year of trust not only for the blog, but in our daily life events. Our hope or confidence is in Him.
 
As I close out this year, I wanted to focus on the big table.  As the time to be seated at the table for Christmas lunch drew near this past Sunday, there were a lot of emotions that erupted, mine included.  We have a big table that can seat a lot of people, easily up to 14 people, however that falls short of the 23 (not including high chair baby Cooper) people who all wanted to be at the big table.  The big table is where the action happens, big discussions, adults interacting etc. but it really mattered to the grandchildren that they would be allowed to sit at the big table and were feeling left out. Of course everyone wanted a seat at the big table.  We are all family and everyone wanted a place to sit, to be included, valued and loved.  We ended up being scattered between the big table, the two children’s tables and the breakfast table. Lunch came and went and we survived the small eruption of emotions.
 
The whole thought of the big table reminded me of the wedding supper of the Lamb in Revelations 19 and caused me to ponder “how big” is that table?  John the Apostle wrote the book of Revelations. As Genesis is the beginning, Revelation is the culmination and revelation of Jesus Christ, being the bridegroom, united with his bride, the church. We catch the first glimpse of the wedding supper being mentioned in Revelations during the third  “hallelujah” over the Babylon’s fall. Revelations 19:6-8 “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”’ Not to get into eschatology, which I am clearly not an expert, I just want to state we, the church as believers are the bride, and we will be united with Jesus Christ who is the groom. Moving onto Revelations 19:9, ‘Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”’  How do we get our name on the invitation list…to the wedding supper of the Lamb?  To the big table? 

John 3:16 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 1
 Corinthians 12:13 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. As Christians, the body that we form is the Church.  It is not the physical building we go to occasionally on Easter or Christmas Eve.  It’s the people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Romans 10:9-10 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Your invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb is having your name written in the Lamb’s book of life as noted in several locations in Revelation. 

For me, the culmination of the year of blogs would be to ascertain that the Gospel, the Good News has gone forth. I want to proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior. Romans 10:13 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Thank you for “hanging” with me all year long.  I hope to see all of you at the “big” table, the wedding supper of the Lamb.

Blessings,
Karen
PS.  Already have the solution to the “big” table. We will move furniture out of the way and add more tables together to make one big table next year!
 

How do you close out the year and start a new year?  Are you intentional in anyway of letting bygones be bygones, letting past offenses or disagreements be forgotten and “ringing” in with celebratory exclamations the New Year? For many of us, we need a little bit of “clean up on aisle 1” (1 being ourselves) before we enter into the New Year.  If you haven’t already started thinking about, the week between Christmas and New Year is a great time to review the end of the year in closed caption. We need to take care of any business undone, not just in our work place, but with each other.
 
I recently have been reading about the Jewish faith and specifically the holidays.  In the Jewish faith, the New Year does not coincide with the New Year celebrated by the rest of the world. It begins somewhere between September to October and is known as the High Holidays or the High Holy Days.  This New Year begins with Rosh Hashanah, which literally means “Head of the Year” and culminates on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.  These two holidays are connected by the days between them, known at the Ten Days of Repentance.  Yael Eckstein in her book “Generations to Generations” states, “ This is a time of intense introspection, self-reflection, and repentance that leads to asking forgiveness from God and also seeking forgiveness from those whom we have hurt or offended – whether intentionally or unintentionally – throughout the year.  It is a time we can chart a new course and begin the year with a clean slate.” I can’t thing of a better way to begin the New Year, clean up messes and making things right with God, others and ourselves.
 
As a therapist, there are two areas that I view as great aids in the healing process of the heart, mind and soul.  The first and foremost is forgiveness.  We can’t change what has happened and may never have a perpetrator ask for our forgiveness but we, by God’s help, can be set free of the emotional entanglement of the hurt in our hearts, mind, soul and our lives.  And for us as the offender, we need to make things right with God, with the other person when we seek to be forgiven and forgive ourselves. Matthew 6:14-15 states “14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” We are to forgive not being asked to forget the offense.  We are releasing the person of the offense.  How often do we do this?  In Matthew 18:21-22, Jesus tells us clearly.  21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.  That is forgiving a lot! Let’s start this New Year off with a clean slate, spending this week reviewing this year and our relationships.  
 
The other power changer for people is moving from the half empty cup to the half full cup view by express gratitude.  Developing a thankful attitude for everything. The passage in Ephesians 5:15-20 gives us tremendous wisdom for life. 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Living a life of gratitude dispels those dark clouds that want to hang over our heads and discourage us.  Gratitude blows those clouds away and cast sunshine on everything even in challenging times.  There are plenty of research articles of the benefits of expressing gratitude which improve, emotional, physical mental, psychological and our spiritual being.  Seriously consider adding gratitude to your attitude for the New Year.
This week between Christmas and New Year is an excellent time to reset for the coming year by cleaning up aisle “1”.
Blessings,
Karen
 
 

CBS network, on December 9, 1965, premiered an animated special entitle A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Many of you would agree that the pivotal point started in the show on the stage at school when all of the characters began to laugh and ridicule Charlie Brown about his pathetic Christmas tree.  Charlie Brown began to chastise himself about not doing anything right such as his choice of a Christmas tree.  In his frustration, Charlie Brown throws up his hands and yells :Isn’t there anyone who know what Christmas is all about?” At this time in the show, Linus is near Charlie Brown listening to him. Linus stood there on stage with Charlie Brown, holding his blue blanket and sucking his thumb and replied, “Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas was all about”.  Linus appears to be transformed from a small child, still enjoying a blanket and his thumb to a determined and intentional character, moving to center stage and asking for lights.  Linus began to quote Luke 2:8-14 (KJV)
 
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

At the point of the scripture passage when Linus quoted in Verse 10 “Fear not…” he drops his blanket and finishes the scripture passage with what appears to be in full confidence, pushing through with no fear. At the conclusion of passage, Linus picks up his blue blanket, approaches Charlie Brown and says “That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown”.  Charlie Brown begins to smile, walks over to the puny little Christmas tree, picks it up and walks off, later decorating it with passion.

When this show aired in 1965, I was 6 years old.  I became endeared to the show and Linus’ voice, even to this day sounds loud and clear in my mind the true reason for Christmas.  As we gather with our children every year, reading the Christmas story has been a central part of Christmas Eve.  We have had our challenges of getting through it when our children were small and now with grandchildren.  But as our children did and now with our grandchildren, the bible is passed around, usually starting with the older three grandchildren and then passed onto the next four younger readers to read and proclaim the birth of Christ.  We have seven grandchildren who actively participate in reading “What Christmas is all about” to our entire family. Just as Linus proclaimed the meaning in that little Christmas show, our little voices are now proclaiming the birth our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The grandchildren are always so excited to read and willing to accept some help with some of those big words to get through their verses to read. Does it take time to read? Yes.  Is there usually someone walking around, crying, dancing a jig, picking their nose, snacking on some treat, and some thinking “Didn’t we just hear this at church a few hours ago?” Yes. But it is important to US! This is the time that we “center” ourselves to “What Christmas is all about to us.” I am fairly sure we give the reason of the passage reading but this year, I am going to be intentional to make sure all of those little ears and eyes know the “why” the Bible is passed around and the grands are reading to the adults.  We need to remember the eternal reason for the season.  Can I just share that all seven of those grandchildren who participate in the reading of the passages have prayed with their mom/dad or us in giving their life to Jesus Christ as their Savior!  That’s a hallelujah praise.
 
Whatever are your Christmas traditions, ask yourself “What is Christmas all about for your family”.   You too may find a deep joy and contentment in celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ...because Easter is coming!
 
Merry Christmas to All
Karen

We are at that point in the year that this phrase
“Tis’ the season”… is used frequently and often times in manner for whatever is happening.  Of course, we all know this phrase is from the Christmas song, Deck the Halls with this notable line of “Tis’ the season to be jolly…falalalalala”.  Did I use enough “lalalas”? I am more like “olly” with no “j”.  I can get excited for this season, but I have to work at it.  I am not the person who starts listening to Christmas music or watching Christmas Hallmark movies even before Thanksgiving is over. I have to “warm” to “tis the season” hoping I get to the “jolly” part.
 
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a “scrooge”.  I would say I just don’t blink red and green the whole month.  The other day, I was back in the orthopedic office, sad to say not a re-check on my wrist but another fracture. “Bah humbug”!  Oh, yes, I just said I was not a “scrooge”.  While I was waiting for my ever notorious name, “Karen” to be called to see the doctor, the office was showing the movie, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  You are probably not surprised that I have not ever seen the movie, however I did catch an interesting part that I have been ruminating over ever since.  In one scene, the village people put the Grinch in a “cheer chair”.  I have been giving this idea some thought.
 
I don’t know if the intent of the cheer chair was to cheer for the Grinch or for him to find a state of being in a cheerful or happy mood. Obviously, he aligned closely with the attitude of Mr. Scrooge. Please feel free to inform me on the purpose of the cheer chair.  As I thought about the Grinch being put in the cheer chair, at what seemed to be against his wishes, it led me to think about how easy it would be to put an unhappy person in a cheer chair and whatever is making them sour would turn to sweet syrup just by people “cheering” them on…encouraging them and saying nice comforting things to them.  If it was just that easy to cheer up all the people in the world. We would have a chair circling the world instead of Santa.
 
I reminisce of some things we did with our children while they were at home. We often had a “cheer” time in which we would go around the table and say something nice about the person or some quality, or talent that we saw in their lives.  The rule was no repeats. On those occasions, it did not take long for the kids to start spouting out something.  With that many people to give a “cheer” being the 6th person to contribute could be challenging.
 
 Since it is “tis the season to be jolly….” what can we do on a daily basis to sow cheer to others?  Speak words of kindness and encouragement. Proverbs 15:23 says A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word! A timely word….many of us have experienced a moment when someone said something to us or we heard a song on the radio that spoke just to what our heart needed to hear. It was like God was “cheering” us on.  I had that moment today in the car just like that.  As I was ruminating over my current plight, I turned on the radio which was on a Christian station and the woman referenced Psalm 139:1-18
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.

The truth: I have not been forgotten by God. His thoughts are ever about me. Verse 5 speaks volumes. “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.”  I often pray this over people. We are all sewn up in Him. That cheers me on!
As I was meditating on this, I was mindful of the story in 1 Kings 17: 7-24 Elijah had declared a drought and the Lord told him to go to a town called Zarephath.
7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”
 
The Widow of Zarephath was at the end of road. She had one meal for her son and her, being the end of their lives.  The Lord directed Elijah to go to the widow for food, fully knowing the widow did not have enough food for Elijah.  She needed cheering on to live. Elijah told the widow to not be afraid but just go do what he told her to do.  Food did not end in her home and even when her son became ill to the point of death, Elijah asked God to let the boy’s life return to him. What was the result? The widow proclaimed that Elijah was a man of God and the word of the Lord from Elijah’s mouth was true.
 
As Christians, let us bear fruit (Matthew 7:17-20) in encouraging others to live, cheering them on because tis the season to be jolly. Remember, for many people, holidays are difficult for various reasons. Psalm 139:11-12 says in our darkness it is light to God.  He has no darkness. Be the vessel of God to cheer someone on dispersing the darkness in their lives and bringing light.
 
Blessings, 
Karen

Each holiday, as a family, we commit to not over plan meals that leave so many leftovers.  I would say, while we might have had some success, we have not mastered the intent of our commitment. The question always becomes what to do with the leftover turkey, dressing, and so forth.  No one ever questions what to do with the ham though.  That meat is the first to be consumed.  
 
Throughout the years, I have made turkey sandwiches, turkey potpie, turkey soup, and dumplings, all of which were not welcomed by the consumers.  Seems like our leftovers are “good” for the next day, but from that point on, no one wants to eat any recycled food from the holidays. The leftovers are rejected. 
 
After a big day or events such as a holiday or vacation, we can all experience other “leftovers” that pile on us such as guilt, shame, and so much more.  A common guilt is overeating or, as some would classify it, gluttony.  This is not a judgment statement, just an observation from listening to so many express guilt of overeating and the shame of gaining weight.  Additional “leftovers” of time with family and friends are divisions, hurt feelings, regrets, sorrow, sadness, and even resolving to not have anything more to do with a particular family member or friend.  Whatever was said, done, or not done left a lasting impact on the relationship and someone got their “fill” of it.  
 
There is a big story recorded in each of the Gospels of the event when Peter denied Jesus.  Here’s the reference for all four of them Matthew 26:33-35, 69-75; Mark 14:29-31,66-72; Luke 22:31-34, 54-62; John 13:36-38, 18:25-27, 21:15-19.  Each account of the denial reflects the author’s specific focus of the event and the specific incident: however, for our purposes, I am going to use Matthew’s account. 
 
Jesus and his disciples had concluded the Last Supper, sung a hymn, and they went out to the Mount of Olives. It is at this point that Jesus predicts Peter’s denial of him.
 
 Luke 22: 31-34 - Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.  But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”  “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.
 
Jesus stated Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crows. Peter has just experience with Jesus and the other disciples the Last Supper.  It was such a big event.  He was passionate about his commitment to Jesus. He was “never” going to fall away, even if the others did, he would not. To the point of death, Peter would never disown Jesus.  His heart was in the right place, but he had not been placed in the circumstance that was about to unfold.  
 
Between this exchange, Jesus was arrested and taken before the high priest who declared Jesus had spoken blasphemy, and others then stated he was worthy of death. At this point, Matthew changes to what Peter was doing. 
 
Matthew 26:69-75
 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.  But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
 
 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”
 
After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”  Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”
 
Immediately a rooster crowed.  Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
 
Luke concludes this account with an added point. Luke 22:61-62 - The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
The commitment Peter had declared to Jesus of not denying him had been unsuccessful.  Just as Jesus told him, Peter denied Jesus 3 times.  I want to point out in Luke’s account; Jesus turned and looked straight at Peter.  We can’t speculate what Jesus’ face communicated but we do know Peter’s reaction to the denial; he went outside and wept bitterly.  
 
 When we have events and holidays, we can have “leftovers,” not only food that we have to package up and for some of us, eventually throw away, but also other “leftovers” that impact our emotions and relationships. We have “leftovers” of memories (good and bad); words that are spoken that can’t be taken back or changed. We make decisions based on exchanges during the event that impact others and us. Peter’s “leftovers” of the three denials was going outside and weeping bitterly. What was that look Jesus gave him and was it seared in Peter’s mind and heart? We don’t know: however, Peter’s weeping sounds like deep sorrow over his denial of Jesus.  
 
I would venture to say, many of us do not want any “leftovers” from time with family and friends.  For some, just the anticipation of the event, the thoughts that swirl of the “what ifs” create anxiety.  Hindsight is 20/20 and some of you may even be shackled with “I wish I had not even mentioned… As we press forward toward these two remaining big holidays, let’s be intentional with our time with others. 

1. Purpose in your heart to walk in peace with each person.  Scripture supports us in working toward peace with each other.  Hebrews 12:14 exhort us to;  Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Romans 12:18 encourage us; If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Look for peaceful responses, remembering that being present is a gift and time is precious so as to not leave with hurt feelings. 
 
2. While arriving in peace, have few to no expectations. This disposition allows your heart to be grateful for whatever good comes your way. The expectations you might have, share them so that the probability of accomplishment is higher. 
 
3. Express gratitude to everyone for everything.  Having a heart of appreciation will “sow” goodwill towards all. 
 
4.  When there is disagreement or strife, seek to find common ground or resolution quickly to restore to strained relationship.  Tidy up business before you leave because on the road home, the mess gets worst in your mind, damaged, and resolution seems impossible. Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us;  “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. James 1:19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…
 
5. Regarding overeating, forgive yourself, ask God to forgive you and be intentional on the next event/holiday with strategies to make better decisions. It may be helpful to “cruise” through the food area ahead of time to get a lay of the land and make early decisions as to what will go onto the plate.  A boundary might be to not return for “seconds”.  You can do this!  
 
We are eternally grateful for the mercy, love, redeeming and restoring power of Jesus Christ.  Peter’s denial did not lead him down the dark path of rejection and un-repairable destruction but he was redeemed and restored and a mighty clay vessel of God in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
 
We can find peace with our family members and friends, enjoy our time together, and demonstrate love to one another.  Enjoy this time of the year.  It’s a Wonderful Life.
 
Blessings, Karen