I wonder if Mary let them hold the baby? When the shepherds showed up at the manger, did she say “You can hold him if you want to”?

We are approaching the longest night. On December 21, the winter solstice, the sun will set at 4:59. At our house we look forward to this day because after that, each day gets longer until finally summer arrives, and the fireflies do not come out til almost 10pm.

My parents have two daughters and three grandchildren and the last time we were all together in one place was in 2019 for a graduation in Boston.  In the intervening years life happened. 

A few years ago in November, a dear friend of mine sent me a list of 100 things she was grateful for and asked me if I might want to make a list for myself. 100 is a lot.

I love that we are a purple church. Because it means that I have developed deep and meaningful relationships with Christians who are kind, faithful, generous, compassionate, and extraordinarily loving.

“More than God is a strategic intervener, he is a teacher. More than he does our will, he teaches us how to do his. Life is God’s call to responsibility”. - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, To Heal a Fractured World 

Barbara Brown Taylor was once asked to speak at a church conference. “What topic would you like me to speak about?” The minister in charge said, “Come and speak about what is saving your life right now.”

The list of worries is long. The surgeon general has recently released a report about the stress of parenting. But the kids are also anxious as they race from soccer to band.