There is so much about this holiday season that’s different. There are gatherings we can’t go to, traditions that are not safe in the midst of a pandemic, and constant changes all around us. When things feel different, sometimes I find myself retreating into the mindset “This will never get better. The holidays are ruined.”
It’s very natural to have this response and to think that there is nothing redeemable about this season or this year. On my more centered moments, I find myself reminded, “No holiday season is the same. We are always growing and changing.” The idea that this holiday season would have been a certain way may be true, but in actuality, we don’t know because the other one, the one we imagined is just a shadow ship.
Shadow ships have a way of distracting and enticing us as they float by in their beauty and perfection, but when we spend our time looking out at the shadow ship, we miss the simple joys of the here and now. The quietness that this season brings. The invitation to rest and be present rather than running from one event to another or one store to another. There is a deepness to this season that is nourishing my soul.
What if instead of talking about all we are missing and what’s aboard that shadow ship in the distance, we looked at what’s surrounding us? Would we see the light and love that’s right here?