Merry Christmas Eve!

It is Christmas eve in the morning! 

I am here with my tree lights on and my coffee has a touch of Bailey's in it just has it has had every Christmas eve morning for numerous years. The girls are still asleep and the cats are curled asleep, Marble on the arm of the sofa to my left and Magic behind my head on the back of sofa. Robert Downey Jr is playing "River" one of my Christmas tunes, a sad and haunting song that reminds me that others aren't quite so fortunate. 

I'm thinking particularly of Kent's Uncle Alvin Gale who is in the hospital in St. John's. We'll miss visiting them this Christmas as well as his cousin Brian and family who'll be with his dad in St. John's. Christmas is an arbitrary day chosen to celebrate joy and peace but so many in this world have neither. The best we can do is give where we can, help however we're able to help bring better days for everyone. Not every Christmas is a happy one. In 1998 my father was celebrating his last one while very ill and he passed two short weeks later. 

Everybody is on a journey and while we mark a day as special, time has no markers or labels and the calendar we flip is irrelevant to its passing. As we go along on our journey we often, especially in sad times, seek the meaning and purpose. As far as I can tell the only purpose to life which is fragile and cruel at times is to be as happy as possible in any given moment and to share that joy with others and often all you need to give is a smile or a word of encouragement. Joy and laughter are contagious and if you feel it, it will spread. 

My heart is with the troubled but not troubled this year. My soul is with the joyless while filled with joy and my love surrounds the lonely because I've got so much to spare. I'm missing my girls in Ontario and my grandchildren. Hope they find lots of happiness in their Christmas presents tomorrow sent with love from Newfoundland. I wish you all peace and joy. Merry Christmas Eve 2015!