Gift of Graciousness

As darkness rolled over the swake about 5:00 p.m. slipping its arms around us limiting our view, we received a gift of graciousness.  Just when I thought I couldn't face another day of getting up in the dark, going to work in the dark, and coming home in the dark, good things began to happen.  I pulled out a calendar and realized there are only 23 days left until the Winter Solstice and I braced myself because I knew I could make it that long.  Then Advent showed up on the door step of my faith journey with some beautiful suggestions on how to navigate the next four weeks.  If Advent has arrived, then Christmas is surely coming.  Amidst the intellectual exercise of steeling myself for another few weeks of the dark, I looked out my window this week to see something startling on the edge of the swake.  

Way down across the lowlands, far from any power source, there was a gigantic spruce lit up with blue Christmas lights.  My neighbor had given me a gift of graciousness.  I know, it isn't all about me, in fact it isn't about me at all, but the fact remains that his actions were a gift to me.  It took some doing to string power to that tree and some determination to create a little Christmas cheer.  The neighbor has done it other years, but last year he didn't so I was not expecting to see that sight out of my window again.  But there it was all lit up, making me feel like a little kid; excited and hopeful.  And if that wasn't good enough a couple of days later it had a star lit up on top! 

This morning as I rose once again in the darkness, I went to the window and was thrilled to see that the tree was still lit.  The lit tree is a gift of graciousness, a reminder of kindness, and a temporary respite from the darkness giving me hope.  Go look up the definitions of grace in its many forms then open the doors of your awareness a little wider, peek out through the windows of your existence and revel in the simple gifts of graciousness that surround you.