Passages of Light and Darkness

It’s the day of Christmas Eve

It’s the day of Christmas Eve. I wanted to wish everyone out there happy holidays, whichever one, or none if you’re so inclined, you celebrate.

I think part of what should be said comes from some song lyrics:

“May God bless and keep you always,

      May your wishes all come true.

May you always do for others,

      And let others do for you.” *

Being brought up Christian, I celebrate Christmas. But Christmas has changed since I was small. We now have overt commercialism, unbridled materialism, sagging morals and ethics, as well as political and economic corruption, to deal with.  It’s hard to see any light at the end of that long tunnel.

But no matter if you see Jesus Christ as: the son of God, an important prophet, or a wise teacher and good human being, remember he changed the world, history, and our fates – through peaceful means, not war. Whether or not you agree with his teachings, many have lasted to this day.  And, he was a radical in his time. He stood for peace in a time when armed Romans walked the streets. He taught acceptance when the ruling class wanted to keep the classes segregated. He preached material wealth wasn’t the be-all, end-all; we have a spirit too.

Try to take some time this season and figure out what you want in your life. Where you want: to go, to be (when you grow up), to have. Materialism isn’t everything; health, family, community exist without excess wealth. Happiness can come from the “little” things in your life. A child’s smile. A helping hand. A letter from a loved one. A look through a photo album.  

Celebrate the 3F’s this holiday season. Feasting, family and fun. (Those were the 3 F’s you thought of, right?) Savor and be grateful for what you have. Take steps to get those things you need or want. And stop once in a while and take in the grandeur around you. Happy holidays. Barbara

*from “Forever Young” song by Bob Dylan, sung by Joan Baez.

Hey, thanks for stopping by. This is to let you know there’s a new blog associated with the two already here (BarbaraLBates.com and BarbaraLBates.com/polad). It’s called Living for Life, and can be found at BarbaraLBates.com/LivingForLife.

Though it’s slanted to those of us over fifty, it’ll contain advice, exercises, recipes, and other good stuff of interest to many. Give it a look and see. This newest addition is willing and able to take your suggestions about articles you’d like to see about 

 - Simplifying your life

 - Exercise

 - Diet and nutrition

 - Amounts of Sleep and rest you need.  

So, stop on by and say hello.

Recently, I’ve received lots of comments about others using info on this and my other sites. First, let me say, the comments are all very similar. There wouldn’t be a reason for this, would there? (Not that I’m the suspicious type, mind you.) So, let me state this once and I won’t refer to it again. This means if you ask, I won’t answer, I’ll assume you can read this post.

I’m visually challenged (that means I’m blind to those of you who don’t follow the conventions of political correctness). My son, who has a degree in Computer Science, put together my blogs and linked them together for me.

I, alone, am responsible for all the content on all three of the blogs. (Though I haven’t started posting to the last one yet. But it should start about the new year.

I know nothing about setting up these blogs and didn’t pick out the templates used. I did however tell him what I wanted.

Any requests to have me “look at my blog” are kind of silly, unless you want me to tell you if it’s accessible. And to do this you have to give me a “real” URL. (That’s a hint, folks.)

If you want to use any information on any of my sites, feel free as long as you tell everyone (this means to give a URL) where it came from. And of course, feel free to link to my site from yours. I think that covers it.

So, please stop with the can I borrow this, link to your site, and come see mine comments. Please.