Volume XXI, Number 51 (Issue 1055) December 18, 2023
‘Tis the Season
Season’s greetings and salutations to one and all. Like many, I begin anticipating the lights, decorations, and festivities of the season long before Thanksgiving Day arrives. Thus, lights start going up on our house on Black Friday morning. My affection for the holidays does not end there. I also look forward to the abundance of traditions and merriment associated with the entire Advent season. If you are even a little like me, you appreciate the joy one sees on so many faces – a joy that is matched only by the excitement one can hear in the voices of children and those who find it easy to be childlike. There is not much in my mind capable of matching the excitement and anticipation of Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. That said, I readily acknowledge that for some the stress, pressures, and painful memories associated with this time of year can be nearly unbearable. On top of that there are wars, strife, and enmity all around us. Sadly for some, it can be hard to find any joy in this season in 2023.
There are other less festive traditions unique to this season of the year. For instance, there is the obligatory stroll down memory lane. You will recognize the reference as soon as I mention it. It is the customary recounting and reflection on the year that was including its numerous ups, downs, tragedies, passings, and triumphs. Still others will seek to take us in the opposite direction as they attempt to focus our thoughts on the year to come. I suppose I could use this forum to try joining one camp or the other. However, I am far too lazy, not to mention short on time, to catalogue and recap the events of 2023. And, I am far too uncertain of the future and what it holds to hazard a guess on the likely highs and lows of 2024. As they say, if I had that particular crystal ball, I could be enjoying life on a beach or on the slopes rather than working as I do for a living.
So, permit me to wrap this up with a simple thought: enjoy the season and all it has to offer. Joy to the world!
Soli Deo Gloria
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
J. Keith Hughey
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E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
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