all i want for christmas.....

someone asked me today what i wanted for christmas. what a question!

of course there are many 'things'; but things are just...well, 'things'.

and then, of course there are big things...an end of poverty; peace among all peoples; the opportunity for people to finish their schooling; the list is truly endless.

i have always been told that i am so hard to buy for....because i don't ask for anything.

maybe this year, what i really want is the opportunity of time. time seems so precious. the opportunity to sit with a beverage of choice (depending upon the time of day) and listen to my christmas collection of music; linger with a friend over a 'chat' we always said we'd do but haven't had time to do yet; go to a movie and dinner and actually talk about what we experience; have a philosophical discussion that changes the heart.

maybe this year is the opportunity to see the smile come to someone who has suffered loss or struggles with depression or wishes the holidays were over before they've actually come. we will do a christmas eve's eve serve -- not worship, but feeding guests from our neighborhood and food and after school program. the story of st. nicolas will be shared. offering time to others without feeling like i have a schedule to keep. smiles of the heart.

time. to look for the star. to listen for a baby's cry. to welcome those who are on a journey. to offer welcome, hospitality, a listening ear, a warm conversation, a cup of tea.

time; so precious. seems like time is the gift i'd really want this year. no exchanges. no refunds. no returns. this is my prayer, my christmas wish. time to get the world to care for one another again. without having the time and desire to care, we are lost.

it took time to move my mom to her new home; a nice assisted living community. re-arrange my schedule, pack the boxes, travel the distance through stormy skies, unpack the boxes, help the 'nesting' to begin. it took all day. but how rewarding. i didn't feel tired when i climbed into bed; rewarding was the feeling, i'd say. what could have been so emotional turned out to be just another journey of life; one that we may all make one day. time goes one; it does not wait.

we say that we have so 'little time' to do the things we'd like to do. maybe we need to stop and take the time rather than look for the time. could this be the time to take?

god comes near. time to welcome the gift of timeless hope, peace, love and joy. now is the time. now is...time.