Constructive communicating takes place when we do. Supportive and affirming dialog makes it likely others will listen. Ongoing practice develops our fluency with Nonviolent Communication, a language that does a world of good.
Saturday, December 31
Expressing Our Feelings, Not Judgment............ 12/31/22
Constructive communicating takes place when we do. Supportive and affirming dialog makes it likely others will listen. Ongoing practice develops our fluency with Nonviolent Communication, a language that does a world of good.
Sunday, December 25
My Second Favorite Christmas Story
How are things going for you? I leave a Christmas story. Tomorrow, I'll leave my favorite while we are still in the holiday season.
Gather around the fireplace warming the inn. We may be frazzled by the call of Madison Avenue. QVC and the Home Shopping Network may be as-saulting us with gift options for loved ones. Commercials from Kohls, Best Buy, Macy's, and other department stores bombard our sanity. The craziness endured during the whirly bur-ly of frenzied shopping may overwhelm.
Please slow down.
This post shares a story of the noncommercial kind. My favorite Christmas Story continues to be, well, the Christmas Story. What follows counts as my second favorite. I heard this story when I was fourteen. My rendering of it lies before you.
A pleasant, reasonable man named James Olivus didn't care for Christmas.
His personality did not reflect that of a Grinch nor a Scrooge. He didn't want to have anything to do with Christ. A hard heart, he did not have.
If God existed, James reasoned, the Almighty could open up the heavens. He could speak directly to mankind, as a celestial star, if He liked. The whole “Jesus thing” appeared ridiculous.
Christmas Eve approached. James followed his holiday routine. He partied at a friend’s house, enjoying good company along with holiday cheer of the liquid kind.
Thirty minutes into his reading, he heard a strong, "Thump!" His curiosity peaked when he heard it again: "Thump!"
His eyes widened. Like an attentive dog, his ears were attuned to the source of this irreg-ular percussive noise. It pounded louder than the crackling fire before him.
Mr. Olivus heard it a third time: "Thump!" Routinely, something regularly struck the twelve-foot-wide living room window facing the front yard. "Teenagers throwing snowballs at my home!" he thought.
He rushed outside. No children in sight. He encircled his house, looking for the cause of the mysterious noise.
Approaching the front yard, James saw them. A flock of birds. At that mo-ment, James witnessed two birds dart away from the group.
These feathered cre-atures smashed into the window like the planes flying into the World Trade Center Twin Towers on that fateful day. Their bodies did not penetrate the home but fell to the ground.
The birds were confused. They were frightened by the swirling snow. The flock huddled under the extended branches of an ash tree.
They could still peer inside James' house. Shelter from the bitter cold of this Christmas Eve evening they sought. No success.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!" Three more birds dove into the glass, crumpling to the white-covered ground. A good heart, James had. A frown contorted his face as he observed the plight of the birds.
He raced into his home. Inside, all of the lights in his living room he shut off.
He thought, "If they can't see inside, they will stop their attempts." The birds no longer saw inside his house. The darkened window created a cave-like appearance.
The man ran to the garage 30 feet away. He threw open the seven-teen-foot wide door to provide the birds shelter. They continued slam-ming against the window.
The birds’ focus on the window prevented that possi-bility. "Thump! Thump!" More birds dashed into the window.
Finally, he rushed into the flock. He yelled, waving his arms. If the birds had been confused, their hearts now raced with fear.
As he thought, the church bells from the town began pealing. The clock struck midnight. The rings ushered in Christmas morning, the day celebrating Christ's birth.
It drifted upon the fences. It alighted upon the rooftops of the homes in the community. It lay upon the nearby hills, frosting the landscape.
“Now I understand why you became a man,” he whispered. His head drooped. James' chin lay on his chest.
My Third Favorite Christmas Story 12/25/22
I hope you enjoy a delightful time with your family and dear ones as we celebrate this Christmas season. That's been my situa-tion as the year 2022 comes to a close. I have deep gratitude
Quotes from the Posts
From "My Character Determines My Destiny." To read it, please click here.
"Progress not perfection, is better than no progress at all, especially when we're trying to rid ourselves from unwelcome dragons that dwell within the closets of our soul."
From, "Still Learning" which, within four days, became the most popular post written. To read it, please click here.
"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, but it does empty today of its strength"
"Nope, being busy isn't exciting. Boring is good. Because boring is not boring; boring is being healthy, living a balanced life that has serenity"
From: "Do You Know What It Means If You Are Too Busy?" For more, please click here.
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