Merry Christmas!
This Christmas with the extreme cold sweeping across the country (though I have escaped the freeze) has me reflecting on all those who are the helpers in life, especially during the holidays. It is through the generosity of 'helpers': rescue teams, public technicians working through the night to restore services, those who bring unexpected kindness, those willing to move beyond personal concerns in a crisis-- that return holidays to Holy Days and awaken our gratitude. Through gratitude as well as giving, we find the spiritual meaning that satisfies the human heart.
I am remembering a snowstorm in Albuquerque, many years ago. Having grown up in Houston, I saw snow only twice before I moved to New Mexico. In Albuquerque, I learned to navigate snow that soon melted. When I moved to the canyon area in the Sandia Mountains, a neighbor gave me an old pair of tire chains. I protested that I hadn't a clue what to do with them, but he threw them in the trunk of my car and said, "Just keep them there--you never know." Time passed, and then we had a massive snow storm. I was at the church in the city as news of the storm worsened, so I left early for home. I was concerned about my daughter, in first grade at the mountain school, riding home on the a bus. I knew driving would take longer, but I had no idea how treacherous it was becoming. As I approached the mountains on I-25, the traffic was backed- up for miles, visibility was poor, and flashing signs warned only residents were allowed through the pass. This is before cell phones; radio news gave me updates on school closures.
I was near panic at the standstill, when through the whirl of snow I saw a man in an unzipped jacket approaching my car--no gloves, no hat, just an open jacket. He knocked on my window and as I opened it, he said, "I'm just walking up the interstate, checking on people to see if they need help. Are you OK? " I couldn't quite process where he came from and how he managed the icy wind. But I told him where I was headed, and he said, "No one is getting through that pass without a 4-wheel drive vehicle or chains. The State Police have a road block ahead." Then I remembered the chains. I told him I didn't know how to use them but they were in the trunk. He said, "I'll put them on for you, just pop open the trunk and wait till I tell you to move the car a bit." In a few minutes they were on! I had only a moment to yell out a thank you as he waved goodby, walking ahead and quickly disappearing in another flurry of snow. Overwhelmed with gratitude, for the first time in my life I wondered whether I had encountered an actual Angel.
I reached the road block on my chains and was passed through. When I finally drove up the mountain to the subdivision and an empty house, I checked the phone answering machine. There was a message from my neighbor that my daughter was safe at her house. School had closed early. The bus driver had dropped the children off at the bottom of the steep road to the subdivision. My daughter had hiked up through the snow with friends, but headed home. Not sure what to do when the wind was blowing snow everywhere, she climbed into our dog house! Fear of spiders made her change her mind and she walked to safety at her friend's home.
Human angels and yes, perhaps unseen other realm angels, are part of the balancing, protecting, Grace of all Life. Our sense of wonder, love and gratitude draw them near. There are life's moments when we too become the angel with our generosity, our compassion, and care. Whatever your spiritual background and path--even with all the storms of life--let this be the season of a heart-opening to the Goodness of Life and it's Wondrous Possibilities. Stay open to Grace. Merry Christmas, Susan Nettleton
for a poetic perspective on Christmas by Larry Morris, follow the link: https://hillsidesource.com/christmas-vision-2007