Three Christmas Lists with a Different Focus

photograph by Aaron Burden

In this blog, we’re reimagining the familiar Christmas song, “He’s making a list and checking it twice; gonna find out who’s naughty and nice…” by offering three lists that have a different focus. Maybe you'll be inspired to change up the lists you usually make at Christmas time!

5 gifts for everyone on your list

1. SOUL
May you recognize in your life the presence, power and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.
– John O’Donohue

2. WONDER
What’s needed are eyes that focus with the soul.
What’s needed are spirits open to everything.
What’s needed is the belief that wonder is the glue of the universe
and the desire to seek more of it.
Be filled with wonder.
– Richard Wagamese          

3. GRATITUDE
I arise at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.
– Kahlil Gibran

4. GRACE
I do not understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.
– Anne Lamott

5. PEACE
There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.
– Thich Nhat Hanh

7 books for when Christmas includes loss

1.     Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief by Joanne Cacciatore

2.     The Wild Edge of Sorrow – Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief by Francis Welle

3.     When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner

4.     Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler

5.     When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron

6.     The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief by Jan Richardson

7.     Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons by Jan Richardson

10 signs you're on a spiritual path

This list comes from Steven Charleston, Native American elder, citizen of the Choctaw Nation, and bishop in the Episcopal Church. 

You laugh a lot more than you used to

You listen more than you speak

You don’t need to remember to pray

You may fear but you do not hate

You are grateful each day

You feel in kinship with all living things

You are happy with enough not more

You depend on love

You treat every person with respect

You see things others do not seem to notice

May your Christmas list be just the right length – and may you check many things off that matter to you.

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