Merry Christmas!  We are so blessed aren’t we?  We have so much to be thankful and grateful for.  Food on our tables, warmth from the crackling fire, sparkling lights and decorations, a roof over our heads, love from family and friends, gifts to give and to receive.  We are truly blessed.  During this time of year, we experience abundance all around, and sometimes, if we are really honest, waste too.  I remember on one of my first mission trips to Guatemala to aid indigenous communities, how, when I looked around, I saw nothing but lack.  No table to feast at, no food to feast with except the rat “drying” on the shelf, cornstalk huts with nothing more than cardboard for beds, one kettle to cook with not over a stove, but an open flame fire and utensils carved from wood to eat and serve with.  And yet, as we were welcomed into their community and homes, I felt nothing but abundance.  Their smiles were genuine; their hugs all consuming; their laughter contagious; their love abundant.  The happiest people I have ever met.  Ever. It was an eye-opening experience and such a juxtaposition. I realized that I was gauging abundance by what I had externally, and they are abundant internally – and by and large happier for it! This is the season of over-the-top, materialistic giving in our corner of the world.  This week, the Abundance Card is reminding us to look inside at what is really abundant in our lives and to take a moment, appreciate it, and be happier for it.  Merry Abundant Christmas!

#abundantinallwaysalldaysalways

Juli