Dear Pneuma,

I'm taking time to write today, as I stand still and breathe deep; as the sky shines and the earth forgets to be frozen. Today is a good day to be quiet. My friend has rolled himself into a sleepy ball by the Christmas tree, and my Beloved sits to my left. Nothing needs doing today.

Did you have a good holiday, Pneuma? It is a hard time for some of us. I spent a lot of my time un"Humbugging." A habit of cynicism and unhappiness is not a good reason to visit my crabbiness and anxiety on those around me. Overall, I think I was successful, and I especially enjoyed some extended time with family.

The best part of the season, though, was the opportunity to give away. We gave bread to a stranger who plowed our driveway. We gave bread to a neighbor who misses her dog and sometimes asks to walk ours. We gave fifteen dollars and Christmas goodies to a man without steady employment who shovelled our walk. We gave up presents to a three-year-old and felt better about the loss than we did the gain. We found we had extra resources to share and gave to three projects via "The Avance."

I wonder how we should negotiate that difference between the joy of the giver and the guilt of the receiver? It seems that a practice of grace helps; that and an intention never to hold on to that which is given, but instead to share wherever possible.

Hope you had a splendid season,
Cobalt Dreams