If you are looking for a new way to celebrate Christmas, you might try this idea:
You gather family and friends of all ages in a large room and ask each person to hold a single unlit candle.
Then you turn out the lights.
In the darkness, you ask someone to tell you about something they’re grateful for – whether it’s another person, an event or anything else. After sharing their story they light their candle. The next person does the same, and so on, right around the room, story by story.
After each expression of appreciation, the room grows a little brighter. By the time the last person has spoken, the room is ablaze with light!
You can almost see how beautiful their faces are, lit up with the joy of gratitude … and with the glow of candlelight. Sadly, of course, that’s not the way it is for everyone during the holiday season. But have you ever thought, we can still be grateful even if we feel our heart is breaking?
The fact is, even though a voice in our head might insist that’s impossible without a Christmas of family and friends, gratitude at such times couldn’t be more crucial. As singer-songwriter Alex Cook proclaims in his album, Arrival: “A Heart Full of Thanks Cannot Be Broken”.
In His Love,
Charles
