Feeling Moved by Magic and Miracles

I’m feeling in the mood to shake things up, to depart from delving into darkness, looking for positive spins on challenging issues, and striving in general. I’m embracing the spirit of Christmas and the messages wrapped inside, of hope and faith, of magic and miracles.

During the holidays, I often feel overwhelmed by the materialism and it gets in the way of my ability to embrace the spirit of joy. Last year I was reeling with newly imposed travel restrictions that had our plans to Dubai cancelled, and me having to shift gears and get creative. Things are almost as uncertain this year, with the emergence of a new variant just as Mister and I are about to embark on a vacation to Panama, but somehow it all feels normal now and instead of reeling, I’m going with the flow.

As I prepare and pack, I’ve been listening to my Christmas playlists every chance I get, finding the carols about the birth of Jesus Christ, the songs about Santa Claus, and the joy of togetherness uplifting. My soul is craving playfulness and at the same time, yearning to connect with something larger than my life.  

Listening to crooners lamenting, “all I want for Christmas is you,” verses about “faithful friends, dear to us,” I was overcome with nostalgia for Christmas’s past. I recalled the excitement generated over weeks of preparing, of buying gifts on children’s lists, decorating trees and baking cookies. I remembered the look on my children’s faces as we snuggled up in their beds, all cozy in their new pajamas and reading about Santa, on his way, gifts piled on his sleigh. They believed, with all their hearts, in the magic. They embraced impossibilities like the North pole, elves, reindeer flying through the sky and Santa Claus sliding down chimneys.

While preparing dinner the other day, I had the Christmas playlist on full blast, belting out the words to “O Holy Night” along with the incredibly talented Canadian tenors. Goosebumps on my arms, tears in my eyes, constrictions in my heart; I felt the power of the words. I felt present to the truth; Jesus is born. I felt blessed to be alive and certain with the knowing, God loves me and lives in me too. I was overcome with this deep knowing, a clear faith as sure as any child’s. I felt connected to oneness, not separated. I felt aware of life eternal and everlasting love.

Details of the Christmas story came back to me, of a baby born with a Divine destiny, proclaimed by shepherds and kings alike to be the savior. I thought of Jesus, the man, who gave up all his earthly possessions to travel from town to town and spread the word; who gave his life. His teachings were and continue to be beyond most people’s understanding. Jesus knew in all faith that he was the son of God. He preached we are all God’s children, all created from the same source of love, and yet we’re still blind. We feel separate, less than, and alone, when in truth we are all one and God resides in all of us. If you have eyes, see. If you have ears, listen.

I don’t want to make this blog all about Christianity or to preach the word of God. You don’t have to be a Christian to believe in miracles or to have faith. The religions of the world can be paths to truth, but each of us has the ability to know God within us. It isn’t a thought and it’s more than a belief; it is a feeling. And when you feel it, you know it, however fleetingly. “The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn.”

The world is weary, the energy is heavy, and yet, still, there is everlasting hope. Whether you believe in God, or miracles, or magic, my wish for you is to feel love. To give and receive love, to make space for stillness and to feel the joy of your creation. It is a beautiful world and there can be miracles, when you believe.