CHRISTMAS IS HERE!

Christmas is my favorite time of year, because people take on a different attitude. I have noticed that during this time of year, people smile and speak to strangers in a gracious manner. They hold the door for older people or ladies with their hands full of packages. As Christmas carols fill the air in the stores, you can almost track a change of attitude VISUALLY! People's faces seem to relax and an expression of hope begins to glimmer in their eyes. Looking more closely, I realize that love begins to rise like the ocean tide in our mind-set. And when love takes over, beautiful things happen among us. Every Christmas, we will hear stories about someone reaching out to some one else in need and a miracle happening! The uplifting effect that it has on all of us is exhilarating! It affirms once again the power of love to transform us into better human beings.

Indeed, this is the story of Christmas. Christ has come, in the form of a baby, to express the immeasurable love of God to each of us. And when we hear the music of His love, it transforms our hearts from being self-centered to genuinely caring for others. As for me, Christmas helps me to look, with a different attitude, at each person as an individual deeply loved by God. And if God loves each of us that deeply, then there must be something beautiful in every human being. Christmas encourages me to look for that beauty, and the Spirit of Christmas enables me to find it. Now, if we could just maintain that loving spirit in our every day lives. How often have I heard the saying, "I wish that Christmas would last all year, because everyone shows loves toward each other!" As the Catholics in New Orleans say, "BINGO!" That is the reason why Jesus came.... so our hearts would be changed from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh and to love others as He loves us.... all year round! So, let me say, "Merry Christmas! and,

I Love You!

Ron