Christmas With Christ

I spent Christmas alone this year. It was the first time in my life that it was so. It made it peaceful, for sure, but I can also say, I was not lonely.

My boys called me up at two in the morning, Christmas, after attending midnight Mass with their mom. Santa had been there while they were gone. My oldest got a blanket with USMC in huge letters and was excited to tell me. My youngest got twenty Roger Maris baseball cards. They didn't care if their dad was asleep, they had to share this with me.

All through the night going into Christmas Eve, then into Christmas, I was awoken by other things as well. A story I've been working on. A very emotional one for me since it's outset. It's religiously oriented and over and over again things poked at me as I slept or was ready to. Things I couldn't get down fast enough and after turning on lights to get paper and pen and write them down, as I was instructed, you might say, I finally put a lamp near the bed so that I could at least save myself from getting up.

I didn't know I believed all that stuff I wrote down. Actually, I knew I did, but it had been forming forever, through the years, but more and more lately. Things I had to say, but was too shy or afraid. That was a wonderful Christmas gift. To say it like I did.

Christmas itself I watched the movie Jesus Of Nazereth. It will be the third time I've seen it. It is by far my favorite religious movie. It is taken from the book of John, I believe I heard. Some definitely is. What I like about it, it is very tied to scripture, but done so convicingly, as with a message, a conviction, and not just dreamy eyed stuff. I need meat and it does well.

Hours of peace, of thought and reflection, are not lonely times. Stuck with yourself forever is, but that is not my case. Times to listen to the voice inside that wants to speak. It was one of the best Christmases I've ever had. Listening, instead of telling Christ what you think He wants to hear.