…but I read this card from a friend yesterday and was struck that it is as true now as some weeks ago. (It is just that some weeks ago thinking about these things was part of the “Christmas spirit,” and now we are “back to work” and “back to life”….)

Note: originally the “still” was a red word arranged atop green words forming a Christmas tree shape. I don’t have that technology!

It is so hard to be still in a world where we no longer answer, “How are you?” with “Fine, thank you,” but instead say “Busy!” and where the ordinary tempo of life seems to be to fall further and further behind. How can we stop and be still and do I really want to anyway? I may complain about the constant burden of my busy-ness, but isn’t that also a way to keep score? If I am always frenetically busy, busy, galivanting about, my life at least looks like it has purpose, while if I am still I might discover that it doesn’t. I might have to face my own emptiness. But would that be such a bad thing? WE cannot be filled until we admit that we are empty. Then we can stop, be quiet and be still. Like on that first Christmas long ago… It was not to the noisily busy the proclaiming angels came, but to shepherds keeping quiet watch in the fields…

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

May you hear good tidings of great joy…

..still

I think we need to send each other Christmas cards all year long.