Happy Christmas Dear Reader,
When searching for Christmas among the world of retail and
rush one must be forearmed. As the
saying goes, one must then, therefore, be forewarned. When it comes to shopping, the warning is
this simple; the rules about loving your neighbor still apply.
I mentioned yesterday about being able to make a clerk feel
valued and appreciated. One of the ways
I seek Christmas is to treat vendors, clerks, and cashiers as single serving
friendships. I go into the frenzy of shopping intent upon making those I
encounter see that I care about their worries and woes. I look for ways to extend kindness and love
in the spirit of the season.
This takes focus and discipline. It does not mean that I am a great guy or
better than anyone else. It does mean
that I am seeking Christmas with the portion of my heart that would rather
focus on what I need to do and getting it done.
It is an intentional attitude of being neighborly as I move through the
shops and stores.
It is choosing to put a smile in the heart of a harried
check out girl. It is showing deference
to the pushy lady in the candy isle.
This is accomplished by really seeing the people around me. It is through knowing that the humans behind
the impatience and attitudes are what matter.
What must someone feel to be rude and harsh in a crowded store? That question alone can trigger compassion
and kindness if we let it.
Where are you Christmas?
You are in those moments where we give ourselves the peace that comes
from being kind to strangers. You are in
the instants when the weary cashier makes eye contact with you and genuinely
smiles because you have taken a beat to be good.
Dear Reader, you are in the position to change lives. These single serving friendships can have
impact deeper than you realize. I have
learned much later when my kindness made a difference. I have found much later when a brief polite
word I completely forgot impacted a life.
In that is where our presence becomes a present that is at the heart of
where Christmas lives. How you treat
others is much more indicative of your spirit than the material gifts you give.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home
owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
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Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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