The real gift

And it was a very happy Christmas.  We found a most welcoming retreat in whose cocoon it felt as though we were far, far away from the hustle and bustle, the madness, mayhem and hype.  Christmas spirit was in abundance, and we enjoyed a peaceful and joyful affair.

 

Many pints were consumed.  Dihydrogen oxide tastes particularly good when it's seven times filtered.  Adding a slice of lime makes my preferred tipple.  The batteries have been recharged, and our energies replenished simply by the change in environment and routine. 

 

Presents were unwrapped.  Smiles and laughter aplenty.  But the real gift, was the ability to be present, soaking up the here and now (or the there and then, as I write retrospectively).  Today, I adore giving.  I am able to give without expectation or condition.  Only in the absence of any agenda is it possible for me to be in the only state in which true generosity is possible - when I am operating out of self. 

I had been asked to give a chair at one of my home groups this evening.  It is always a pleasure and a privilege to be of service.  But particularly so this week.  Week 52 has, for the last decade, been something of a landmark in more respects than simply the traditional.  Growing up, celebrating my birthday less than a week after Christmas was something of a challenge.  These days, I mark not only the anniversary of my birth.  I celebrate nothing short of a re-invention. 

 

The meeting format includes a reading.  'Speaker's choice' this evening started on page 62 of the Basic Text...  It seemed to speak to the precious experience I have just enjoyed.  Unlike the many lotions and potions that were available for purchase at the end of our wonderfully rejuvenating stay, this cannot be bottled but, like all good things, must be lived to be fully learnt, and passed on to be kept.