True Peace/ Love Holds

Peace on Earth goodwill toward men is an illusory thing at our house on a Sunday morning. Between the battle for a hot shower, who helps fix dinner, and who shovels the snow, peace sorta disappears in a "poof".

I sat down yesterday morning after trying hard to make all this a peaceful occasion, After all, it's Christmas...Why are we bickering about the simple and basic things of life? Why do we ever? How good it would be if we could get a glimpse of the non- importance of perfectly prepared meals, sidewalks, and hot water.

But that also is not reality. We love our creature comforts and practises which make our lives more convenient later. Just not every family has a mom that sits reeling afterward wondering how she can make them all be kind in application.

I take things too personal, or so I've been told. How to not? It is personal. They are my people. I have a deep connection with them...bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh.

But peace can be invented and tweaked like a photo shoot with props and not authentic. We attempt to adjust the props of living to the amount of light we capture through our soul's lenses. And it's just not accurate.

I've recently been bothered by our lack of authenticity. I wonder how much better living would be if we would all be real and admit we have areas of defect in our hearts. Our families aren't perfect. Shucks, our families are hurting and struggling and sometimes failing...what is so wrong with acknowledging these facts and taking them to the Healer God? Out loud?

I think about peace over the Christmas season and love too, but I think about peace and love all year 'round because seeing those things played out in everyday living at my house, happens everyday. It's not just once a year that I'm concerned with how much peace and love my family has for one another.

I'm starting to figure out that no amount of traditions and ritual and beautiful words can hold enough peace and joy to make everything work out to what I equate them to be. 

It's the amount of peace and joy I have leftover in my heart after the quarrels and struggles and hurts are played out. If we can get through a tough hour of communicating and working on mundane chores and still remember that we are friends and do very much care for each other's well-being, then we have the kind of peace and love that last through the storms and goodness of living, while being genuine.