Encouragement

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Well, it’s December once again and very soon Christmas will be upon us, with the annual ritual of trawling round the shops and buying the presents and then feverishly wrapping them up. Yet despite all this pressure it is fundamentally a time of happiness and giving.

Above all, however, it is a time of celebration and sharing our love with each other, and most of all with the children. One of the greatest rewards, for us adults, is to see the look of wide-eyed anticipation and pleasure on the face of the children as they unwrap their long awaited gifts.

It is indeed a magical time, and especially for the younger ones, for they still have the ability to just stand and stare, and to take delight in the ordinary things of life. They are also blessed with powerful imaginations, to pretend to be whatever it is they want to be at that moment. They may be a train driver one day, and a spaceman or a nurse the next, for there is in their young and inventive minds, nothing that they cannot be or do.

The sad fact is that as the children grow older they are more and more exposed to negative thinking and doubt as to what their capabilities are. Finally, they see in life only the limitations that grown-ups have set, rather than the vast possibilities that are out there just waiting to be seized.

Unfortunately, as the years pass and we grow into adulthood the sense of magic disappears. We start to doubt, to disbelieve, and the world around us, that once in our childhood seemed so full of wonder and excitement, becomes dull and ordinary.

But there is hope for us adults yet, so why not take a lesson from the children. For example, take time to hold a flower, and consider how wonderful it really is, and know that in your hands you are hold something that is uniquely beautiful in colour and structure. But magic does not manifest itself just once in a while, it is with us all the time if only we take the trouble to look, for we are surrounded by things that are nothing short of a miracle.

The way the sun rises each morning to fill our lives with warmth and hope. The way a flower unfolds to reward us with a brilliant display of colour. Not even the sensitive hands of the most skilled artist could ever capture these moments on canvas. Take a handful of sand and study it carefully, and understand that what you are holding in your hand is the result of pure magic.

The way the moon peeps out from behind a cloud to cast it’s subdued and mysterious light across the rooftops. The brilliant spectacle of a rainbow arcing across the sky, or the exquisite and delicate scent of a rose freshly touched by rain. The sound of waves lapping gently on to the beach, or the touch of a loved ones hand.

Cherish each new day that dawns for it is indeed a miracle in progress. It presents us with a vibrant new world, where opportunities abound to spread the message of love and peace. Just to be alive and sharing these golden hours with our family and friends is a truly remarkable and powerful thing. For whether we are aware of it or not, we are taking an active part in the spiritual growth of mankind. We, in our small but very precious way, are helping to bring magic back into our lives.

Children are naturally aware of this special magic, and there is much that we can learn from them. For one thing they seem to know a lot more about being happy, and having a good laugh than many of us adults do. Everything is new and exciting to them, and a source of great wonderment, and they are just as curious about an insect, or a leaf from a tree, as they are a puddle on the pavement.

There is an old saying that “a boy becomes a man when he walks round a puddle, instead of through it.”

So go on, be a kid again. Walk through that puddle if you like, see through the eyes of a child, but be sure to look at everything around you, and especially the world of Nature, with new, excited, and inquisitive eyes. Then you will experience again the real magic that Christmas, and its message of hope, can bring.

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