What Christmas Means to Me - The Birth of a Savior

What Christmas means to me: The Birth of the Savior of the World
Part V of V
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In my recent writings I talked about what Christmas means to me. To me Christmas is about:
The magic of childhood, Christmas traditions, Family and Giving

Today, I end with part V of V in the series of What Christmas Mean to Me. The most important, and the real reason for Christmas celebrations is the birth of the Savior of the world. Christmas is about good news! Christmas is about hope and salvation.

What Christmas Means to Me: The Birth of a Savior

It’s about the birth of a child; a child who was born to bring salvation to the world. Christmas is about a child born in a stable because there was no room for them in the inn. It is about a child wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. It is about shepherds tending their sheep when angel of the Lord appeared to them. The angel of the Lord best describes what Christmas is really about: "Fear not for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." And with the angel their was a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Need I say more! And, that's what Christmas means to me!

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It's your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!

What Christmas Means to Me - Giving

That’s What Christmas Means to Me: Giving
Part IV of V
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Christmas is a time of giving. It’s also a time for gift giving. The giving of Christmas gifts is deeply rooted in our culture. At one time, the early Christian Church attempted to ban the custom. The movement met with so much resistance, that the Church relented. Instead, the Church looked for ways to integrate the practice of giving gifts into the Christian Faith. So, early Christian leaders justified the practice by noting the presentation of gifts from the Magi to the baby Jesus.

The best gifts this Christmas will not come in a nicely wrapped box, with a ribbons and a shiny bow. No, the best presents this Christmas will come from the heart. There are two types of presents that come from the heart. The first is material. They are presents that we make for others with the talents that God has bestowed upon. These presents have emotional value, which far outweigh the value of a store bought present. The second is spiritual. They are the presents that come in the form of action; the giving of yourself.

This Christmas you can give of yourself by visiting the elderly, feeding the poor, praying for the sick, volunteering your time, donating to a charity, spending time with someone hurting, or assisting those in need; just to name a few. In the words of Kahlil Gibran, "You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give."

When you give of yourself, you’re giving from the heart. When giving is truly from the heart, and with no expectation of something in return, a paradoxical relationship develops. You see, the more you give, the more you get. Now, I don’t mean getting material possessions, I mean receiving a spiritual gift. Hence, it really is true that it’s in giving that you receive. When you give of yourself, you receive personal satisfaction, peace of mind and more importantly, the grace of God.

Winston Churchill once said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
This Christmas, the best present you can give to someone else is the gift of yourself; no fancy paper, curly ribbons or shiny bows, just you!

Christmas is about giving! And, that’s what Christmas means to me!
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It's Your Life: Live it, Love it, Celebrate it!

What Christmas Means to Me - Family

That’s What Christmas Means to Me: Family Part III of V
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Christmas is a time for the gathering of family. It’s a special time of year. It’s a time to worship together, visit relatives, play family games, and revisit the past through the telling of stories of old. It’s a time to remember our loved ones who have gone before us. It’s a time to feast on fine food and festive treats, sing carols, exchange gifts, watch homemade videos, read Christmas stories and take family pictures. It’s a time to honor our family traditions.

Christmas really isn’t about anything material, it’s about everything that is spiritual; spiritual in the sense that it is about the heart, the mind and the soul. Nothing has a greater impact on one’s spirit than one’s family. Christmas is about family.

Charles Dickens, in his 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol, brilliantly contrasts Ebenezer Scrooge, a cold-hearted, greedy, loner of a man with Bob Cratchit, a poor, hard working, family man. Scrooge is consumed with wealth. He is a miserable, lonely old man. On one of the most joyous days of the year, Scrooge has nothing but disdain for Christmas and its traditions. Bob Cratchit, on the other hand, embraces the joys of Christmas. He desperately wants to be with his family and provide for them a Christmas dinner. Bob Cratchit is a family man. Although he lives an impoverished lifestyle, Bob Cratchit has everything he needs; he has his family. Scrooge’s main focus in life is money and power; money and power that leads to his misery. Cratchit’s focus is on his family. Cratchit has love and family; love and family that sustains him and leads to peace of mind.

The more you appreciate your family, the more you’ll cherish this Christmas. Your character is largely shaped by the family values you’ve shared and practiced while growing up. It’s through our family that we receive the greatest amount of love and support. Outside of God’s love for us, there is no substitute for the love of a parent, the love of a spouse, the love of a sibling, or the love of a child. There should be no greater connection than our connection to our family. The family is a unit. A unit united by shared experiences, both good and bad, and the emotions tied to those experiences.

This Christmas I ask that you embrace this special time of year and cherish the time you spend with your family. If there is conflict with a family member, put it aside; put it aside for the greater good, the good of your family. Ask God to give you the courage and strength to forgive a family member, who may have done you wrong. Or, ask God to give you the courage and the strength, to apologize and ask for forgiveness from a family member if you may be in the wrong.

Christmas is a about family. It’s a time when a smile can easily be invoked by the sharing of family memories; it’s a time to savor the present moment with family, while sharing God's greatest gift to us, Love; and, it's a time to commit to a future where the values of family love and self-sacrifice will endure.

And that's what Christmas means to me!

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It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!

What Christmas Means to Me - Traditions

What Christmas Means to Me: Holiday Traditions part II of V

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Christmas is rich with traditions. Christmas is sending Christmas cards, baking Christmas cookies, singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and kissing under the mistletoe, just to name a few. When it comes to holiday traditions, there is none other than Christmas. According to Webster’s Dictionary, tradition is "an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior." Because traditions are inherited they form a strong familial and cultural bond. Because of the significance of our Christmas traditions, we eagerly await the arrival of Christmas, so we may carry on with our traditions.

You’ve heard of traditional holiday favorites. Like Bing Crosby’s White Christmas or the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. Traditional favorites are those traditions that have not only endured the test of time, but are considered the very best of among all the traditions. I never tire of hearing Bing Crosby sing, "I’m dreaming of a white Christmas," or hear Clarence say, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings," However; there are some traditions that must come to end. They’ve outlived their usefulness or value. They’ve drawn down on our resources, with little, if any, payoff. Bear in mind that some of our traditions may actually produce negative outcomes; excessive stress, emotional discomfort and family discord. Traditions that promote negative outcomes must go.

This Christmas, I ask you to take a good look at your what behaviors your routinely engage in. Christmas is a time of reflection; as well as a time of hope. So as you reflect upon your life, ask yourself what traditional behaviors (habits) have you practiced that are leading to peace of mind, good health, and achievement? What traditional behaviors (habits) are holding you back? Are you continuing with traditional behaviors (habits) that are bad for you, only because it’s more comforting to continue with them than to cope with changing them? If you’ve tried to break traditional behaviors that you know are bad for you and you’ve been unsuccessful, remember the words of Mary Pickford, "This thing that we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down."

Christmas is a time of hope. Winning the battle over a habit is not easy, but the rewards are well worth the price. Don't wait until it’s too late. Often times, we wait until there is trauma or desperation in order to act. This Christmas it’s time to break tradition. Choose a habit that you're willing to break; start with something small. Make a commitment to change and begin creating a new behavior that will produce positive results.

Christmas is a time for traditions. It’s a time enjoy those things that our families have passed down to us, and a time for us to enjoy the traditions of our nation. Christmas is a time for us to decide which traditions are to be honored and which traditions must come to end. The lifespan of a tradition is determined by the value it brings. Every Christmas, I look forward to traditions that bring me closer to God, my family and friends! To me, these are the traditions that will endure a lifetime.

And that’s what Christmas means to me!

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Its your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!

What Christmas Means to Me - The Magic of Childhood

Candles burnin' low,
Lot's of mistle toe.
Lot's of snow and ice,
Everywhere we go.
Choirs singin' carols,
Right outside my door.
That's what Christmas Means to me my love.

In 1967 Stevie Wonder released That's What Christmas Means to Me. The song is a love song that describes a romantic relationship and the pleasures of a material world at Christmas.

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This week I'll be writing about what Christmas means to me. This is the first of a five part series.

What Christmas Means to Me Part I of V: The Magic of Childhood

Who is not amazed at the magic of childhood? It is especially evident at Christmas time; the look in a child's eyes, the anticipation on a child's face, the excitement in child's body, and the whirlwind of thoughts racing through a child's mind. Children live in a world where their dreams really do come true. At Christmas, they dream of Santa Claus who magically travels the world to give gifts to good little boys and girls. On Christmas morning, their dreams come true!

We all know the why and the how of a child's dream coming true on Christmas morning. But, in order for their dream to come true. They must first start with a dream. That's the magic of childhood. Children are creative by nature. They allow their minds to take them places where they've never been, to do things that they never done, and to become any person that they choose to be. In addition to their creativity, they believe that their dreams really will come true. Their belief allows them to live their dreams. The formula for the magic of childhood is creativity coupled with an unfailing belief.

Sadly, the magic seems to wane as a child grows older. For most adults, the magic disappears completely. It disappears because our creativity gives way to conformity and belief gives way to doubt. We no longer can see things, or be things that don't exist. The magic disappears because we allowed the opinions of others to poison the creative thinking process and destroy our belief systems. We worry about what other people might think or say about us. The poison of others slowly works to become a self-induced poisoning, where we tell ourselves that dreams are for dreamers, and if we did dare to dream, it would never come true for us.

This Christmas I ask that you search for the lost magic of childhood. Since we were all a child at one time, we possess the magic. You never lost it, you simply allowed others to convince you not to use it. When you begin to dream like a child and believe that dreams really do come true - watch out! Who knows where your dreams will take you and what your dreams will allow you to do.

Don't believe me, ask a child!

Christmas is about the Magic of Childhood ... and that's what Christmas means to me!

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It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!

The Right Questions

The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong question.
-- Peter Drucker

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Asking the wrong questions, can demonstrate one of two things: a lack of understanding or a lack of focus. One can overcome a lack of understanding by searching for knowledge related to the issue. Generally, when one possesses a degree of knowledge about an issue, one begins to ask the right questions. Asking the right questions, should inevitable lead to the right answers.

It is more difficult to overcome a lack of focus. A loss of focus can result from several things. In order to develop and maintain your focus, focus on those things that are truly important to you. First, make a list of your values. Second, make a list of everything that you do that is important to you. Next, rank order the items by importance. If your values are not in line with your list of important things, you basically have two forces pulling in the opposite direction. The end result is a lack of focus, resulting in anxiety. Make sure that your values and behaviors are consistent. If you truly value something and your behavior is consistent with those values, its difficult to lose focus. By having the right focus, you'll ask the right questions.

Asking the right questions requires knowledge and focus. The work is done on the front end; acquire the knowledge, and develop and maintain the focus. If you're willing to do the work on the front end, you'll find you're asking the right questions and getting the right answers!

Gotta Go! Gotta few questions I need to ask and answer!

It's your life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it!
MJD

The Heart of the Matter

"The more anger towards the past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving in the present."
- Barbara De Angelis

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Anger breeds Anger.  Love breeds love.  Whatever your heart feels it will seek to satisfy.  When your heart if full of anger, jealousy and vengefulness, unfortunately, you'll engage in behaviors that satisfy the heart.  An angry heart consumes energy: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.  Whereas an angry heart consumes energy, a loving heart amasses energy. 

The emotion of anger has a purpose in our lives.  It should serve us to work harder, to alert us that something is wrong, and/or to spur us into action to defend ourselves, another person, or a social injustice.  However, carrying anger in our hearts serves no worthwhile purpose and is damaging to the soul.  An angry heart is fostered from not letting go; an unwillingness to forgive.  

If you possess an angry heart you may feel justified.  It’s likely someone did you wrong.  You need to understand that an angry heart does absolutely nothing to the person that you are angry with.  The person you are angry with will go about doing his/her business irrespective of the anger carried in your heart.  For you, possessing an angry heart robs you of the joy that a loving heart brings.   Since it is impossible to experience anger and love at the exact same moment, an angry heart will dominate your thoughts and your thoughts will become actions.  Being angry, jealous, and vengeful is no way to go through life.  The anger you harbor in your heart is negative energy and it will eventually take its toll on you.

For those with an angry heart, take heed of Jesus' words to Peter concerning forgiveness.  Jesus told Peter we must forgive our brother "seventy times seven."   Why, “seventy time seven?”  Seems to me, the Great Teacher is providing us some insight into the immense value in forgiveness.  Today, look to forgive one with whom you have an angry heart.    For when you do, you'll understand that it is forgiveness that truly sets you free.

Angry heart or loving heart – the choice yours!

It’s your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!

MJD

The Experience

Experience is not what happens to you. Experience is what you DO with what happens to you.
--Aldous Huxley

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The most profound teacher you will ever have is your own life experiences. Pay close attention to the lessons that your experiences have to offer. An experience has two basic components: an event and a feeling associated with an event. An event is neither good, nor bad; It's simply an event - a series of things occurring. It is the feeling associated with the event and the value you place on the event that counts. Allow your experiences to serve you, not hold you back. Remember, every experience has a lesson to offer. It is what you do with your experience that counts!

Gotta Go - Got some lessons to study!

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It's Your Life: Live it, Love it, Celebrate it!
MJD

Stealing a Base

"You cannot steal a base without a risk of getting thrown out."
- Michael J. Dillon

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Life is full of risks. It's only when we take a risk that we can advance in the direction of our hopes and dreams, and reach our full potential . When you decide to take one of life's risks, remember these two simple rules of base running: don't hesitate and stay focused. One of the biggest mistakes a baserunner can make is to allow doubt to momentarily paralyze them. And so it is with life; don't let doubt paralyze you. For if you do, you'll likely remain at the same base or get thrown out trying to advanced. If we wait for the perfect time, the perfect time may never come. Often times, we may have our sights set on something, but we do not know how to achieve it. If our passion and believe are strong enough and we begin moving in the right direction, the "how to" will often find us.

The other crucial mistake that is made when stealing a base is to take your eyes off the base. A base runner must stay focused and listen to the base coach. When a base runner turns to look at the catcher, the baserunner loses speed. Although it may be a fraction of a second, a fraction of a second may make the difference. When stealing a base, a baserunner must listen to instructions from the base coach. And so it is with life; don't look back, stay focused. Don't let your past or fear slow you down. Don't lose sight of your goal. And, just as a base coach is there to assist a baserunner, listen to the coaches in your life. Listen to those people that support your efforts and want to see you achieve. Stay away from those people who do not believe in you, and are the first to offer a reason why you can't do something. Those people have never stolen a base in their life.

You've got the steal sign now - go ahead and put yourself in scoring position!

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It's your life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it!
MJD

Debt Free, Really?

"A man's indebtedness is not virtue; his repayment is. Virtue begins when he dedicates himself actively to the job of gratitude."
- Ruth Benedict

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People will often set a goal to be debt free.  While that is an admirable goal, no one can ever be totally debt free.  It is true that one can be fiscally debt free; owe nobody nothing for financial consideration.  But, nobody can ever be without debt!  Why?  You are indebted to far too many people to be debt free.

To whom you might ask?  You are indebted to the following:  To your parents who gave you life, love and all kinds of support: physical, financial and emotional.  To your teachers who taught you way more than just reading, writing and arithmetic .  To doctors, nurses and medical professionals who have played a vital role in helping you maintain a healthy life.  To police officers and firefighters who work tirelessly to help keep us safe.  To the service men and women; those who have lost their lives, those who once served and those currently serving our country so we may enjoy the fruits of freedom.   To all those people who said the right thing, held our hand or simply smiled at us when we were feeling down.  The list goes on and on and on...! 

So you see you can never really be debt free.  While it may never be possible to repay all of your debt, it is possible to be truly grateful for what you have, what has been given to you, and what has been done for you.

Try practicing an attitude of gratitude it goes a long way repaying your indebtedness.

Gotta go!  Got a whole lot of debt to repay!

It’s your life:  live it, love it & celebrate it!

MJD

True Success

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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True success cannot be measured by the size of your home, the size of your car, the size of your wallet or the size of your portfolio. True success can only be measured by the size of your heart!

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It's your life: Live it; Love it, & Celebrate it!
- MJD

The Measure of Success

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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True success cannot be measured by the size of your home, the size of your car, the size of your wallet or the size of your portfolio. True success can only be measured by the size of your heart!

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It's your life: Live it, Love it, & Celebrate it!
MJD