Dear Reader:

Last Tuesday when I ran to the bank and was waiting in line…this (title photo) bright red wooden plaque was sitting beside one of the cashier’s windows. I couldn’t help but start laughing…how true! I had left my Iphone in the car and I ran back out to get it.

Haven’t we all played this game since we were little children? When we knew we were going to do something”bad” that we might get in trouble for…we figured out what the worse consequence would probably be and then made a decision based on the amount of fun prior to the punishment and occasionally opted for fun.

Jakie is the funniest because he is so matter of fact about his “take” on life…he is the smallest one in his class but also an persistent “pusher.”  He has definitely had his share of “time out” experiences for this “indiscretion.” He always says he is “shorry” but it has been a hard habit to break.

I talked to him one afternoon when I was at John and Mandy’s. John shared the teacher’s report on his misbehavior (after they drove up) with pushing that day. He told me who he pushed and how he had to go to time-out. I asked him if he was sorry and he nodded yes but then when I asked if he would do it again…he slowly nodded too. “But Jakie don’t you think your pushing makes your classmates sad and  mad at you?” He nodded yes.

“Then why do you think you will probably do it again?” He nodded, “It’s fun Boo Boo!”  The “Terrible twos and threes” are always balanced by perfect honesty…it is only later…that the cover-ups start. Right now the fun outweighs the consequences.

( And he is so darn cute…the teachers have a hard time staying stern with him for very long. He is a charmer and a honest one to boot.)

Aren’t we adults pretty much the same when you think about it? Don’t we also weigh the consequences of our actions against the potential outcomes? Most of us have learned (through life experiences) to know exactly how far we can push the perimeter before imploding.

Dr. Seuss defined life as a “balancing act” and for those of us who have been around awhile… who have experienced just about every kind of scenario there is in life…we know this to be true.

Since I am a “Libra”… moderation is where I feel most comfortable and when my own personal “scales” get off-balance I am the first to know and find myself trying to balance myself again whether it is dealing with my personal, social, or professional life.

I, also, do this with my own spirituality and apparently I am not the only one. Ora Nadrich (The Blog) in her article “Keeping Your Spiritual Equilbrium” remembers this conversation with her husband.

(Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” — Thomas Merton)

The other morning when my husband asked me if I wanted another cup of coffee, I replied, “No thanks, I want to keep my spiritual equilibrium.” I went on to explain that I don’t like that jittery feeling when I’ve had too much caffeine, especially when I want to stay calm and peaceful for whatever the day might bring.”

As I think back on scripture didn’t Jesus Himself maintain a sense of spiritual balance with his disciples…sometimes herding them together if he suspected danger or asking them to follow him and do what he did. Case-in point:

When the disciples are battered by the waves at sea, Jesus comes to them walking on the water and calms their fear with his assuring word, “It is I.” At the Lord’s command Peter also walks on the water, but in fear and loss of faith, he begins to sink. Jesus reaches out his hand in rescue, but reproves his little faith.

As long as Peter kept eye contact and faith…he and Jesus were equal…each walking on the water…against the laws of gravity that govern the earth but not the spiritual world.

Haven’t you experienced having a serious conversation with a parent, teenager, or troubled friend and for just a moment, keeping eye contact throughout the conversation and watching the possibility of hope flicker until loss of contact by one side halts the healing, the recovery?

At Christmas time it is so easy for our equilibrium to get off-balance. We know in our hearts what true Christmas is all about…but we still find ourselves worrying about gifts, food, and other mundane things in spite of our best intentions.

Yesterday I told my Christmas story at the annual MS Christmas luncheon and once again my spiritual equilibrium was restored. It was so fun seeing everyone  and catching up….lots of free hugs and kisses. And I even lucked up and won a great door prize!

The theme this year was “Joy” and I told the group that every year I attended the MS Christmas luncheon to tell a story I was filled with joy! I thanked them because this gathering brought balance back in my life when I needed it. Here are some pictures from the luncheon yesterday…I even won a wooden plaque with the word JOY all over it! It is hanging in my Happy Room as we speak. *(Andrea and I having our annual photo taken!!)

Here are a few more pictures of Christmas at home…

So until tomorrow…Keep reminding us Father what Christmas is truly all about…and let us not lose eyesight of that insight.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Honey sent me a picture of some light snow up on Pinnacle Mountain where she and Mike live yesterday and just this morning Honey sent me this photo! WOW!