~And there in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men~ Linus reciting the Christmas story from Luke 2:8-14
Charles Schulz was born in one of my favorite cities in the world and the one I currently reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up across the river in St Paul and created the beloved comic strip Peanuts with Snoopy and the gang. About 45 years ago, Schulz was asked to create a Christmas special for CBS, however, CBS execs didn't like Linus' biblical reading when Charlie Brown asks what Christmas is all about. They felt it was too religious for a secular audience. Schulz was adamant about keeping the monologue and said, "If we don't tell the true meaning of Christmas, who will?"
As I left rehab a couple days ago, I felt so excited to be in my car and turn up the radio for the first time in a whole month. My beloved passenger iPhone sat safely in the seat next to me getting all charged up for the trip, too. I couldn't drive fast enough to Omaha, Nebraska to meet my new baby niece Zelda (aka Zellie) who was born on December 6th. At the time, I was so sad that I couldn't be there with my family as they celebrated her birth, but she gave me motivation to get healthy. As I drove, I wondered how the shepherds and wise men must have felt like while traveling to see baby Jesus. I'm sure they couldn't walk or ride their camels fast enough either. They didn't have iPods to pass the time, but I'm sure their spirits were rocking out as they were blessed to be part of one of the most glorious and greatest events in history.
The wise men brought gifts of gold as well as frankincense and myrrh which are commonly used to create incense to give to baby Jesus. Unfortunately, this wise ass came bearing no gifts for baby Zellie, 5-year-old niece and 3-year-old nephew. I was in rehab during Black Friday and all the other prime shopping days that followed, but my niece and nephew still rushed to the door and were still were excited to see me. They didn't care that their auntie was a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. They just wanted me to love, play, dance, sing, have fun and make them laugh. Baby Zellie just asked me to to hold her close, hug and kiss her. I was elated to fulfill all of my auntily duties.
As the kids excitedly opened their gifts this morning, I reflected on my true meaning of Christmas. The joy and acceptance that we share as a family and the hope, healing, forgiveness and unconditional love that Jesus shared with the world. It's been a couple days of living on the outside again and I'm slowly adjusting, but I'm eager to start the next phase of my life; happy, healthy and determined to live.
Charles Schulz was born in one of my favorite cities in the world and the one I currently reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up across the river in St Paul and created the beloved comic strip Peanuts with Snoopy and the gang. About 45 years ago, Schulz was asked to create a Christmas special for CBS, however, CBS execs didn't like Linus' biblical reading when Charlie Brown asks what Christmas is all about. They felt it was too religious for a secular audience. Schulz was adamant about keeping the monologue and said, "If we don't tell the true meaning of Christmas, who will?"
As I left rehab a couple days ago, I felt so excited to be in my car and turn up the radio for the first time in a whole month. My beloved passenger iPhone sat safely in the seat next to me getting all charged up for the trip, too. I couldn't drive fast enough to Omaha, Nebraska to meet my new baby niece Zelda (aka Zellie) who was born on December 6th. At the time, I was so sad that I couldn't be there with my family as they celebrated her birth, but she gave me motivation to get healthy. As I drove, I wondered how the shepherds and wise men must have felt like while traveling to see baby Jesus. I'm sure they couldn't walk or ride their camels fast enough either. They didn't have iPods to pass the time, but I'm sure their spirits were rocking out as they were blessed to be part of one of the most glorious and greatest events in history.
The wise men brought gifts of gold as well as frankincense and myrrh which are commonly used to create incense to give to baby Jesus. Unfortunately, this wise ass came bearing no gifts for baby Zellie, 5-year-old niece and 3-year-old nephew. I was in rehab during Black Friday and all the other prime shopping days that followed, but my niece and nephew still rushed to the door and were still were excited to see me. They didn't care that their auntie was a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. They just wanted me to love, play, dance, sing, have fun and make them laugh. Baby Zellie just asked me to to hold her close, hug and kiss her. I was elated to fulfill all of my auntily duties.
As the kids excitedly opened their gifts this morning, I reflected on my true meaning of Christmas. The joy and acceptance that we share as a family and the hope, healing, forgiveness and unconditional love that Jesus shared with the world. It's been a couple days of living on the outside again and I'm slowly adjusting, but I'm eager to start the next phase of my life; happy, healthy and determined to live.
1 comment:
Hi Cindy, so happy that you are free at last! When is a good time to catch up? I'm back in MSP on Thursday night, let me know when you are back as we are long overdue for a nice dinner. Love you, Amy
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