Live as if Every Day is Christmas

Maybe you felt a spark of the Christmas spirit this past week. For many people, this year may have been a little dimmer than usual. If so, I want to encourage you to fan the flames to keep it going throughout 2021. I firmly believe that we are meant to keep the Christmas spirit 365 days of the year. Yes, you can!

I think a more common word for Christmas spirit is love. Not a romantic love, but just a love of all that is around us. “All” means even that family member who is more than a little hard on the nerves. You didn’t miss that part of the annual Christmas celebrations, did you?

Free Sources of Energy

Love is an energy that can either come and go hardly noticed, or can be tapped into and expanded. Much like other energy sources in the universe, like sunshine, wind, or a river, we don’t usually take much notice of it, but if harnessed, can provide electricity to power a whole town.

Like trying to start a campfire, it takes work and perseverance, since it usually takes a few attempts to really get it going. I always bring a Frisbee with me in my camping gear. It’s a fun activity to play with friends, takes up very little space in my pack and is excellent for fanning the fire when I’m starting it.

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Gossiping or Helping? 

Ever have somebody tell you, “I was just thinking of you!” when you called them? Well what just happened there?

Maybe you have enough faith to believe in coincidences, but I don’t. Nothing in the physical world can explain it. It certainly seems as though a spiritual connection of some sort was prompting each of you. Ultimately, who cares how you explain it? Isn’t it a wonderful feeling when that happens?

And it only takes one of you to respond to that prompting to make that communication complete. So what are you going to do about it?…

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Recommendations to avoid drowning

(When I am addressing husbands or wives here, you may need to reverse the genders for your situation.)

In the last blog post, I told a story about a husband and wife on the seashore, out in deep water. It was to demonstrate that things in relationships are often not what they seem obviously to be. After thinking about it, I thought I’d write this post on how to avoid getting your relationship into that situation in the first place. If you are there, the last blog gives ideas on the way back to dry land. If neither of you are drowning, thank God! Read on for hints on how to keep your marriage on solid footing.

Remember Mazlow’s hierarchy of basic human needs: basic physiological needs, safety and security, intimate relationships, esteem from others and self, self-actualization, transcendence. Look for ways to provide an environment where your spouse can find these things.

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