Tis the gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free.
Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be.
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we will not be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight.
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

These are the words to one verse of "Simple Gifts," a Shaker song written and composed in 1848 and attributed to Elder Joseph Brackett from Alfred Shaker Village.
They were also used by Aaron Copland in his song, also called "Simple Gifts."

“There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them, and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide. A savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for; a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger. At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir, singing God’s praises: “Glory to God in the heavenly heights, peace to all men and women on earth who please him.”
Luke 8-14 from The Message Bible

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or–worse–stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will want most to be, and end up being.”
Matthew 6:21 from The Message Bible

“Maybe Christmas,” the Grinch thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Dr. Seuss, in from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

Angel
Noun
A spiritual being believed to act as attendant, agent, or messenger of God, conventionally represented in human form with wings and a long robe.
A person of exemplary conduct or virtue.

Enable
Verb
To give someone or something the authority or means to do something.
In computing, to make something operational or activated.
“You can enable compression or even virus scanning prior to backup.”

Help
Verb
Make it easier for (someone) to do something by offering one’s services or resources. “They helped her with domestic chores.”
Serve someone with (food or drink). “She helped herself to a cookie.”

Noun
The action of helping someone to do something, assistance. “I asked for help from my neighbors.”

An angel often comes in the forms of things or people that we can understand. Animals can be seen as angels too. Last year, during a cold January day, when I was in the process of transporting to work; I noticed my car needed scraping. I was not too pleased with the prospect. Scraping would require extra time that I simply did not have. So, I rolled down the window, turned on the defroster, and headed up my street. I noticed a public works guy had just gotten out of a van, I pulled over, and asked him if he had a scraper. He was a young man. He went back to his vehicle and looked. He found a scraper, and scraped my car’s front window, so that I could safely drive to work. I waved him on. Later that day, I told my dad that I did not have a scraper. My Dad went to the store and got me one. So, for me, both my dad and the young man were my snow-scraping angels on that cold, blustery January day. I have been learning about the way to make requests when I really need the extra help. At what point in asking someone for help that you so desperately need, does it become enabling? How can you use your gift or resources that you have to help someone during this holiday time?

Enable Kindness.
Enable Hope.
Enable Faith.
Enable Love.
Enable Charity.
Enable Peace.
Enable Friendship.
Enable Smiles.
Enable Presence.
Enable Happiness.
Enable Sunshine.

Who or what are your treasures in life? After I went through a divorce, I found out that my former husband had hired a cleaning service, before he moved to another location. Some of my cherished items, including some artwork I did back in college, had been thrown out to the curb. Among these trashed items included my baby book, some girl scout patches I had earned back in the 70s, and some furniture pieces from my maternal grandmother, which included a rocking chair and a chair. Other items that went in the trash were some of my awards and certificates I had received. I know the divorce up ended my former husband’s life, as he had to move to an entirely different location than from what he would have wished to be in his forever childhood home. Life happens, it changes, you move on.

How is God calling you to be an “Angel” in the lives of others this holiday season? and to not get so caught up in the Christmas preparations and “trappings,” cause you to miss the simplicity of this season.

Wishing you and yours Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May you have a healthy and prosperous year in 2024.

Blessings,
Marci

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