“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” ~attributed to a 7-year-old named Bobby

The holiday season always seems to sneak up on me with the cunning of a panther, so slowly I don’t notice it’s arrival until I feel it pounce.

Despite being well ahead of schedule (I thought) I barely saw the black cat approach. Last minute things to be done. Driving. Food. Family. More food. More driving.

The spirit of Christmas can get lost in its busyness.

This year I hope to remember that the best part of the holidays isn’t the food or the fun or the gifts; it’s the silence, and the love in the room.

As always, my humble thanks for taking the time each week to read my random thoughts.

And I wish you all a happy, peaceful (and patient) holiday, one in which you are blessed to find the presence in the presents.

“Christmas is for children. But it is for grown-ups too. Even if it is a headache, a chore, and nightmare, it is a period of necessary defrosting of chill and hide-bound hearts.” ~Lenora Mattingly Weber