Life was so short. Hope and love so futile! Home and family…should be treasured and lived for with all the power of blood and mind. Friends should be precious. It was realization that a man needed.”
–Zane Grey (Wanderer of the Wasteland)
“At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.”
–Luke 2:1, 4-5 (NLT)
———————–
Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow, and that there was enough trouble for today. This is also true in regards to how we deal with family and friends. Take care of relationships, today as the plans for tomorrow may come to naught. Realize the value of those close to you, nurture and treasure it.
This time of year can be turbulent. Much of it depends upon you. You can be part of the chaos, or slow down and enjoy the pleasures of the season. Focus on the important things: the birth of Jesus, the beauty and magnificence of what God did, family, and friends. Memories!
————————
I came across the Christmas message of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. In our day, it would be hard to imagine a President giving such a message. Our boys were in the midst of war, some of them fighting for their lives. The Battle of the Bulge was raging in Europe; the Philippines were being retaken in the Pacific. Read it with a thankful heart.
“It is not easy to say ‘Merry Christmas’ to you, my fellow Americans, in this time of destructive war.
Nor can I say ‘Merry Christmas’ lightly tonight to our armed forces at their battle stations all over the world–or to our allies who fight by their side. Here, at home, we will celebrate this Christmas Day in our traditional way–because of its deep spiritual meaning to us; because the teachings of Christ are fundamental in our lives; and because we want our youngest generation to grow up knowing the significance of this tradition and the story of the coming of the immortal Prince of Peace and Goodwill.
But, in perhaps every home in the United States, sad and anxious thoughts will be continually with the millions of our loved ones who are suffering hardships and misery, and who are risking their very lives to preserve for us and for all mankind the fruits of His teachings and the foundations of civilization itself.
The Christmas spirit lives tonight in the bitter cold of the front lines in Europe and in the heat of the jungles and swamps of Burma and the Pacific islands. Even the roar of our bombers and fighters in the air and the guns of our ships at sea will not drown out the messages of Christmas which come to the hearts of our fighting men.”
Political correctness be gone! Whoever in the world came up with such an idea, and the audacity of people using it to spread an agenda that is contrary to the message presented at Christmas.
————————–
“Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it white.”
—Bing Crosby