Let Your Heart be Light

Not easy sometimes, that's for sure. A month filled with sorrow and grief, people divided, senseless acts of violence. How do you lighten a heavy heart during what should be a joyous season?Stop. No, really. Stop. Still yourself. You have bought enough, baked enough, cleaned enough. Your holiday decorations are beautiful, last year's sparkly sweater is still pretty and festive. With any luck, you've stuck to your budget, but if you overspent, okay. Stop now. It's all enough.Last week my friend Karen demonstrated to me the true meaning of Christmas, when she drove a hundred miles to take the ferry from Bridgeport, Connecticut to Long Island, NY. Then she drove to Save-a-Pet Animal Rescue and picked up Tiny Tim, a dog desperately in need of rescuing. Read Karen's inspirational story.Well, Karen brought Tim home, introduced him to her other rescue pup, Kimba, and helped him get settled in his new home. She kept him clean and comfortable overnight, but Tiny Tim crossed the Rainbow Bridge the next morning. Karen had known his time would be short, yet she put aside the frenzy of mall parking, crap-from-China shopping, over-thinking everything to rescue one of God's vulnerable creatures. And then she wrote this achingly beautiful piece after he died.Whether you assist an elderly neighbor, overtip the person who brings you breakfast in your favorite diner, smile at the frazzled department-store employee, dig a little deeper when the collection basket is passed your way, or whatever you can think of to brighten someone else's day, even for a moment, believe me, your heart will be light.Wishing you all the comfort and joy of this season, however you celebrate.