Dear Tom:
People have asked me recently, “What is going on, you seem so happy, excited, and so full of joy. You must really enjoy Christmas!” My answer, of course is, “I am happy, I have a very good reason for it, but even without my transplant the Christmas season has a wonderful affect on me. This year I just seem to be in better contact with that little boy who feels like jumping for joy, honored, and excited. Part of my spirit this Christmas is the fact that I will be around three of my five grandchildren, and getting to watch their excitement over beautiful lights, large and small packages, cookies and pies. The child in me now lives partially in them.
There is a symmetry in some of the games we receive and play at Christmas time and life. Many games like Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, and Sorry have aspects in them where one can rise and fall instantly at the throw of a dice. When we are up, we are really up, and when we are down we are really down. One roll we have landed on Boardwalk and with Park Place have a monopoly. Another roll and we “go directly to jail” not passing “Go” and not collecting our $200 dollars. Our lives experience these same extremes, and our emotions swing. Fortunately, over time we learn not to hold on to either extreme, instead, we find places in our heart for both, in balance.
For now my life is calling me to be refreshed, redeemed, exalted, and high. “Tis the season.” I am enjoying the experience, but I have learned to not hold on too tightly. With maturity, I have learned like the full grown plant, that there will be times I must shed my leaves and return them to the earth, only to have them return once again in the proper “season.”
Your friend, Webb
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