"A Christmas Card"

"...'I am bringing you good news of
great joy for all the people..."
Luke 2:10

According to this well known story
an angel came announcing the birth
of a special baby, and bringing glad
news to everyone.

Now we send out Christmas cards
to people sending them our good
wishes as we remember this story
that has been handed down through
the ages.

I was curious about where sending
Christmas cards started, and this is
what I found on-line.

"In 1843, the Christmas card was
invented by a man named John
Calcott Horsley, who lived Italy. He
was hired by Sir Henry Cole in an
effort to depict the desolate living
conditions of the poor. The idea was
to raise awareness and encourage
people to help those in need.

"Ironically, the result was a card
portraying a happy family, including a
child sipping wine. Scrawled across
the front of the card was 'A Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year to
You.' This led to criticism as it was not
socially correct for a child to drink
alcohol. Despite this, the Christmas
card was a hit and manufacturers found
it difficult to keep up with the demand. By
1880, the Christmas card business was
big and growing rapidly.

Christmas cards are ways we reach out
to people we often don't talk to the rest
of the year, but they are also ways of
letting people know we love and care
about them.

I'm grateful to you, and I'm wishing you
Happiness on this Christmas Day, and
abundant blessings in this New Year.

Let Us Pray:
We are grateful for the reminder to bless
those we love and care about who have
been a part of our lives. We are grateful
to know the Christ Presence fully Present
in each one of us. Amen.

Merry Christmas,
Sandy

"Let Go and Let God"

"...letting God be God in me is my
decision alone. There is no hellfire
and brimstone to threaten me--only
an unconditional love that simply
wants to wrap itself around me. So,
I choose to let go and let God. How
can I lose?" Katherine Saux

I can remember when I was totally
running my life from a fear of a big
guy in the sky that I didn't see as a
loving entity but someone who was
out to get me.

Even though I was "saved" because
I had "asked Jesus into my heart," I
was afraid. I had a list of self-appointed
rules that I had to follow, and if I didn't
and something went wrong in the world
it was my fault (pretty powerful, huh?).

This is no longer where I come from. I
know God as Love. God is within me,
and there is no separation.

I can let go and let God be God in me,
because there truly is no other way.
There is no God and Sandra. There is
only God. God in every cell of my
being.

And, not just God in me, but God in
every cell of your being. There is no
place where God is not.

So together may we choose to let go
and let God. How can we lose?

Let Us Pray:
Living, Loving Presence, we consciously
connect with You as we go within. We
feel only Living, Loving Presence. We
choose to let go and allow You to move
as us. We are grateful. Amen.

This is a journey of unfolding, stretching,
and growing. I'm so grateful that we are
journeying together.

Grace-filled blessings,
Sandy