This year my closet floor is full of confusion. Christmas stuff. We are heading into the home stretch of the holidays now and this is the hardest part. Guilt about inadequate presents is always a given. Guilt flourishes anywhere you find humanity, though. None of our feelings are really personal; all people have every known feeling.

These days the inhumanity in Ukraine is abominable. That one man could enjoy the killing of thousands and thousands of innocent people! That big oil and gas can turn a blind eye to global warming.

What is the good news? That there is something in us that is eternal. We have no proof; we must pay close attention to our own heart. We must feed it nourishment instead of starving it.

Goodness is godliness and the best thing we can do is to watch our heart very carefully to see how we abuse it.

Christmas puts me in an emotional bind; that is for sure. There is always the risk of sentimentality when clear seeing would serve me much better.

Vicki is crammed full of pessimism and bah, humbug. She knows the score and she doesn’t like it. I can’t blame her for being negative when insight shows her how dark the earth has become. Her job is to know consciously instead of to feel negatively.

Seasons come and go and so do people. Seeing through ourselves is important. Being conscious instead of mechanical is the true gift that we bring. Amen.

Vicki Woodyard