The Symbol of Christmas – Howard Thurman

As the day draws closer

As the anticipation builds

As the schedule becomes more hectic

As memories flood in of Christmas’s past

As the stress of daily news disheartens

I find these words of Thurman comforting:

The symbol of Christmas–what is it? It is the rainbow arched over the roof of the sky when the clouds are heavy with foreboding. It is the cry of life in the newborn babe when, forced from its mother’s nest, it claims its right to live. It is the brooding Presence of the Eternal Spirit making crooked paths straight, rough places smooth, tired hearts refreshed, dead hopes stir with newness of life. It is the promise of tomorrow at the close of every day, the movement of life in defiance of death, and the assurance that love is sturdier than hate, that right is more confident than wrong, that good is more permanent than evil. (from the Prologue to The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations)