Happy Hannuchristmadhakwanstice!

Have I got everyone's wholly-Holy-holly days covered now?

It's Christmas day, a high holy day for Christians, and it's just a few days after winter's Solstice for the Wiccans, after Eid al Adha for the Muslims, a bit after Channukah for my Jewish friends, and coming up into Kwanzaa—everyone has a reason to celebrate right about now. We celebrate the birth of the Savior, we celebrate the Festival of Lights, we rejoice in the coming of Christ, the annointed one, and in the Festival of the Sacrifice. We celebrate our families and our communities, we reflect upon our past labors, and contemplate our coming journey out of the winter's dark towards the deepening warmth and light of Spring. Here's to the Holy days of winter, here's to the Solstice, the sun return for the Northern Hemisphere, the Son return in the Embodied Christ. We humans all shiver in the cold of winter, and we all suffer through the dark of ignorance. We all cope with the dark days or pray in our own ways, waiting for the coming of the Light. We all have so much in common, why must we fight over dogma?

There is no sound of gunfire today, either on the mountain or in the valley, everyone has laid down their arms. Life is simple, today, and good. Could we be like this always? Can we remember not just the holidays, but all-our-days, and keep them peaceful and holy? Can we remember the giving we practice now, and extend it throughout the year? Can we just learn to get along, and to help each other out? It's just a small planet, really, in the great dark of space. We must hold our Heart Lights, and hold together, and help each other out, and not give in to the madness that would take us all down the dark ways to oblivion.

This one is for the Friends, all Life's little saints, the quietly unnoticed, unremarked and unknown to society, but Beloved by God and simple people everywhere. May we be fortunate in their company, and may we all be like those small candles in the quiet Niche of Allahs' heart. So, here's to the Saints of the common people, the quiet ones who get things done, here's to a friend of a lifetime or of a moment, of a word in the the ear, a nudge on the shoulder, a quick joke for a flagging morale, or maybe just a Light, lit for a moment, in the darkness. Here's to their great company, and to their God..."by their works shall you know them" and "better works than these shall you do also". Here's to learning those works, and acting in simple kindness. Here's to the Kindling of that Light.

It's cold outside, and I'm grateful for the warmth of the fire, of kith and kin, as they say, and I'm prayerful for the ones who don't have this much. Take care of those without, God. God notes the sparrows fall, they say, so for those wee little ones who are caught far from Home, in a bitter, cruel land without shelter, keep them, Allah, near to Your Thoughts, and gather them close to your Loving Hearth.

In bright beauty,
Waiting for the sun's return
in quantum peace.