[“It’s a rollercoaster!” Belmont Park, San Diego, CA]
Last evening after a trying and hard day, I realized I needed to give over my focus and attention and concern to something: something that had nothing to do with that day’s upheavals; its cares and woes.
So, yes! Of course! Just the thing. And I pulled out the cardboard box from under my bed containing this year’s Christmas cards. And rolled up my sleeves.
But, almost immediately, what had seemed a convenient, get-my-mind-off-family-drama-and-depressing-headlines task became fun! And Spirit-filled. To be grateful that the card I’d selected months ago still delighted me and still “spoke to my condition,” to contemplate each person I wrote to, to connect with Love, pure Love; what a joy!
The inscription for this year’s card reads: May the beauty of the Holiday Season be with you throughout the coming year. And last night I was moved to add by hand, “Let’s hear it for Beauty. And Kindness.* And . . . ” (And then I’d elucidate something relevant to the person I was sending the card to.)
By which I mean: let’s hear it for whatever it is that sustain us, keeps us grounded, lifts our hearts, reminds us what matters!
* Yes, Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem was ringing like a silver bell as I wrote this.
Dear Patricia,
Hi, there, Patricia, my so, so very deary special and dearly precious friend and sister who you are For Always so, so very much!!!!!!! I just checked my email for the first time since very early yesterday and was so very thrilled and overjoyed to receive your email, and I very joyously emailed back to you, my so very dearest sisterfriend! Wow, I am so excited to be receiving your wondrously wonderful Christmas card in my snail mail and I am just so excited to send a cool Christmas card to you as well, my so, so very dear friend!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!! This will be just so much fun and so very exciting, Patricia!!!!!!I so, so very much love and like your absolutely beautiful and lovely title to your so very cool and great blog post article with these very fine and excellent words, Joy Breaks Through. This splendid title and this entire blog post article itself is so very grandly marvelous, sister! You have also inspired me to get started on your sparkling Christmas card, my so very precious friend, and on my other Christmas cards(I haven’t started yet-SMILE!!!!!!!). I’m also delighted by my very special choices of Christmas cards for you, my so very dearest sisterfriend, and for other people as I, too, am also contemplating you, sister, and each other person I’ll write to in the snail mail, to connect with Love, pure Love, and to be grateful for all of you is such a joy, Patricia!!!!! I, too, say, “Praise be!!!!!!!,” to what your card reads and the inspiring, uplifting words you so very graciously and generously added, “Let’s hear it for Beauty, and Kindness.” You’re so right, sister, in meaning “Let’s hear it for whatever it is that sustains us, keeps us grounded, lifts our hearts, and reminds us what matters.” Such abundant and blessedly overflowing words of sagacity and inspiration here, sisterfriend!!!!!! I am so moved and touched in my very heart, and my very heart, mind, soul, and spirit, Patricia, by you who you are For Always as my very joy and greatly immense blessings, and your so very beautiful and lovely words which are such a soothing and a comforting, healing balm, sister!!!!!! Thank-you!!!!!!!!You have so very much greatly added to my day, making it even better and brighter, and I am very energized to get started on your precious Christmas card, my friend Patricia, and on the other Christmas cards(SMILE!!!!!!!). This will be such a great joy, blessing, and pleasure for me and will be just the very best and the greatest fun for me, Patricia!!!!!!! Yay sister yay sisterfriend yay my friend Patricia!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!
The poem you featured by Naomi Shihab Nye rings so very true, and is so overflowing with sagacity. The picture of the roller coaster is so cool, Patricia! I was such a brave little girl riding the ginormous roller coasters, and continuing to do so as I grew up into my teens and my very early twenties. I rode a roller coaster for the last time when I was 24-I just couldn’t physically handle it anymore and I became a scaredy cat(SMILE!!!!!!!). I was 24 back in 1986 and in nearly 30 years no more roller coasters for me(SMILE!!!!!!!).
Patricia, please have a wondrously wonderful Wednesday, rest of your week and weekend, and may all of your days be so, so very especially blessed, my so very special friend!!!!!!! You are such a greatly immense joy and blessing, sister, and joyfully reading your so very cool and enlightening blog post articles and other writings, responding joyously to your great blog post articles and other writings with my very heartfelt comments!!!!!!! Yay Patricia yay!!!!!!!
Very Warmly and Sincerely For Always, my so, so very dearly special white sisterfriend Christian, Patricia, with Peace and Love To You For Always, my so very dearly precious friend, with Blessings and Even More Blessings To You For Always, my sister,
Your sisterfriend Christian lesbian black woman For Always in the spirit and solidarity, Sherry Gordon