Is that a wrap?

Can we now bring down the curtain on the current year? I think so. If you've been following, I think you'll agree, that we've managed - perhaps in spite of ourselves - to reconcile the spirit of the season with the reason for the spirit.

The individual whom we know as Jesus of Nazareth - for some, Jesus Christ - whose birthday celebration is the occasion for this holiday, really didn't bring us anything new. (Let's leave all the theology and all the Christology out of this for the moment.) His "message", expressed in his own words are a rephrasing, a re-living, a re-emphasis of something that humankind has known all along: Love the ones your with, the ones you encounter, even the ones that drive you to distraction. If you do, it is a whole lot easier to not do to others what you wouldn't want them doing to you. It's really not all that complicated. Jesus gets a whole lot of points in my book, of course, because, if you read the stories of his life, what strikes one - regardless of what or who you think he might be - is the fact that he practiced what he preached. He took a lot of heat for it, to be sure ... more heat than any of us would be willing to risk, but he did what he said, and that's why he's at least a role model for me.

I don't mind ... in fact, I enjoy ... partaking in his birthday celebration. It's an opportunity to remind myself of what I should be doing, even if I must admit that I don't do it often enough. It's a time to reflect on how I might "improve my game" (it's sort of like golf: the only one you really have to beat is yourself). It's a time to think about opportunities passed and what might be possible if I could really put my mind to it. In the end, at least for me, that makes for an uplifting, rewarding, and encouraging time. To me, that's what Christmas is all about.

A new year, by our reckoning, is upon us. It will be a lot like the old one in many, many ways, and that's reason enough to be sad. We all know that we're not living up to our own potential. We know that there is more than each and every one of us could do to make this world a better place. We also know - at least if you've been following the last few posts, you should know - that we can do better, as individuals and as a species.

It's not complicated; it's rather simple. It's easily said, even if it's not easily done. But, we have to start somewhere sometime, so why not here and now? Love your neighbor (or whoever you're dealing with at any given moment) as yourself and don't do to anyone (neighbor or stranger) anything you wouldn't want them to do to you. I can assure you, if you persevere, the rewards are great, and to top it all off, life for all of us will be brighter, warmer and more fulfilling.

Now you know. Just do it. Just go for it.