In Search of Christmas Joy...

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Thunderbird
    ...Vibrant blue skies filled with fluffy clouds, orange golden sunlight pouring through naked trees, these were the conditions of the day that said anything but Christmas time in the Magic City.  It was early December and we had only a whisper of snow over the area.  The golden sunlight made me want to play outside, but it was cold, in the 40's, and there was no one to play with anyway.  Quiet holiday music floated on the air from my radio as I began remembering Christmases past.  I should be out there taking photos, but the light would fade into evening before I could get anywhere interesting to capture on camera.  It is that hour of frustration that makes me crazy as I struggle with restlessness before dark.  For the photographer in me, light and color can be so distracting at times.       
       The approaching holidays have left me a bit numb as I am yet to do any seasonal decorating.  As of yet it has not snowed in the Magic City.  Today is gray, I mean really gray.  Outdoor photography is pointless for the moment.  As an old friend once called it, I am suffering from PMS...Poor Me Sad.  Things are just that, passed.  While it is good to remember the happy times, it is still time to move on.  One life lesson I have learned is that every so often one must re-invent one's self.  Just what is it that I want to make the holidays worth celebrating?  As a Christian I of course celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Reading the accounts of His birth in the Bible refreshes my appreciation of what God did for all of humanity when he sent His son to us.  Meditating on that truly unique gift warms me and fills me with joy.  There...I think I hit on something.  The external things don't really make the holiday celebrations worth much. They are simply traditions.  But those change over the years.  Celebrating the birth of the Christ child doesn't change.  God and His son are the only real constants in our lives.  So, what do I want foe the holidays?  I want the joy of the Lord for everyone and for this nation to return to a genuine love of God.  Already I feel a bit happier in spite of the gray day.  And I am working on re-inventing some of those traditions from Christmas Past...

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