“So Many Gifts”

Boy oh boy…my head’s spinning. Things are happening at the 30,000 foot level and at the 2 foot level. It can keep me off balance. Let me be more specific. 

Major life changing events are happening at the 30,000’ level. Christmas, the celebration of our savior’s birth….magnificent, overwhelming, majestic, incredible. Trying to get my “head” or really my “soul” around this “otherworldly” action of God is pretty hard…really pretty impossible. It is so great. Thank you father for sending your son Jesus to the earth to save us from our sins and give us a terrific life on earth and then the promise of eternal life in heaven. Wow, I don’t want to loose my focus on this truth. Lord help me to continue to ponder your love for me and all mankind.

A few feet down from the 30,000’ level (maybe at the 20,000’ level) is the life changing event for our youngest daughter having her first child on Christmas Eve. She and her husband are pondering deeply this great moment, gazing at this beautiful new baby girl with her little round head. They are in a “holy daze”. I’m in awe looking at them. 

Well, in the midst of these “high altitude” realities, there’s also the 2’ realities. Life goes on…getting up, making the bed….breakfast, taking our walk, saying our prayers and rosaries. There’s the aches and pains of getting older which aren’t very awesome. There’s the craziness of the world peeking around the corner. Two of our children live in Nashville…wow, what’s going on there with that explosion ?!?!

It reminds me once again of the  Pentecostal preacher’s reminder to “walk with your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground.” I need to keep my eyes on the Lord and his amazing love. At the same time I need to try and share that love with all those around me… to do his will at the 2’ level. I think the church in her wisdom helps us to do this by having the reading about the first martyr St. Stephen on the day after Christmas. Wooooo, I’m not finished with my Christmas cookie and we’re on to martyrdom. And then the feast of the Holy Family… great stuff…back to basics.

So, let’s continue to keep our head in the “heavenly clouds” and our feet on the “ground”…doing our duty….taking care of our brothers and sisters. We’re still in the very early stages of the Christmas season, let’s enjoy this time…enjoy the celebrations, giving and receiving presents, savoring those delicious treats. At the same time let’s be sure and pray, be vigilant against the attacks of the devil, love those around us…being kind, open to giving alms. And let’s remember to thank God for everything he does for us…every good gift is from our father in heaven. “Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”  (James 1:17) 

P.S. I received a lot of nice presents this year at Christmas… in addition to the “proverbial socks”, I received many more great gifts…always first the gift of salvation from our wonderful God, and then my beautiful wife and our great children and grandchildren, and our many friends, and………….. it just keeps going.