christmas update/ the mind and heart / dreams

i am going back home for christmas! yes... :)
and in the meantime, have to clear up work and brief my relief(s) on what they need to do etc. argh! but i'll get there somehow.

christmas isn't about gifts and good food - even if this year-end promises plenty of delicious lunches/dinners to attend :P- it's about preparing a way for Jesus to enter our hearts, souls and minds. no matter what state we are in, he wants to come in.

spring cleaning of the soul having begun, i feel rested and refreshed. (so ironic when you consider what i went through physically)
the journey is far from over, though, i have to take some new paths and move in a different direction.

***

when the heart is not there, the mind cannot work.

unite the heart to the purposes of the mind and watch as barriers crumble and the spirits are raised again. nothing is impossible with God, as i've been constantly reminded this 4th week of Advent in the Annunciation story.

it's funny, i've never considered salvation to lie there. i've always considered it some sort of a hell. always under such close scrutiny, and always having to bend and twist my brain (which preferred wandering down the corridors of philosophy and socio-legal theories in a dreamy and happy fashion - who knows what would turn up?!) to a more prosaic and pragmatic turn.

but well, i'm coming to learn just how further i need to go, and how i have learned to serve those who despise me, think poorly of me and wish me ill. in so doing, i come to understand Jesus' mission a whole lot better.
to do your best for those who love you not (cannot use the word 'hate' - i reserve that for mortal enemies) is a humbling and heartening experience.

to lose heart is to lose the most important part of a person. so keep them coming, i'll be ready!

***

i still dream, and i still want to make a difference.
some day i will.
surely.

dreams are not meant to be sold. mine have coloured my existence and given me hope.
so there.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. - Eleanor Roosevelt.