She lay in bed awake. The wintery sun had not yet risen; outside she could hear the crackle of the frozen world around. Her senses heightened, she was very aware. The room was dark, with only the blue, green and red glowing lights tightly puddling around electronic devises. She shuddered in the chilled room trying not to distinguish the shades of darkness. In the cocoon of her room, she felt the ‘quiet’ as if it were something tangible. She smiled as she imagined bottling ‘quietness’. She could make a fortune selling it. No, God would not look favorably upon such an endeavor, not from one who believes, loves, adores and hopes in Him. But, wouldn’t that be the best gift ever? If only she could give such a gift! She tried not to think of the many things she felt she needed to do in the day that she was not yet ready to begin. She tried to calm her mind and release. Although warmly snug under the covers, her face was cold and the tear that ran down her cheek felt like it would freeze before dropping. As she lapsed back into the lull of early dawn slumber her intuition told her that there was a presence nearby. It was still, very still and she knew she was not alone.

The man had barely gotten out of the office before he felt the hush of the world around him. It had been a day of missed deadlines and unsettled priorities. It felt good to be in the privacy of his truck cab. To shut and lock the door and sit in the twilight grayness gaining strength as he released the chaos of the day, conscious of breathing, breathing slowly, methodically. Thinking over the day he had just finished with its moments fluctuating between anger, sarcasm and weariness; he held on to a thin thread of energy. Snow started dusting down. He turned the heater up and the stereo off and sat there, waiting. Waiting for what? Waiting for the ‘calm’ to surround and seep into him. He could feel it as sure as if one could touch it, ‘calmness’. He smiled as he thought, ‘if only we could make ‘calmness’ our business vision, how great we might be!’ No, that wouldn’t work, the two – calmness and greatness – don’t seem to go together. Or do they? “Oh, Lord, how lost I would be if I did not believe, love, adore and hope in You.” He blew into his hands to warm them and sensed that there was another presence in the truck. It wasn’t visible, but it gave him a serene strength and he knew he was not alone.

Once upon a time, a long time ago in a far and distant country, a child lay dying. The grandmother hummed sweet lullabies and caressed the child’s face with gentle kisses. The family prayed for the child’s life to be saved, but somehow the grandmother knew that something else was needed. She wouldn’t leave the child’s side for she knew she had to be able to touch the child’s spirit in order to know for what she should pray. In the silence of the night, the child’s breaths were shallow as gentle whispers. Although death was near, there was a sensation of tranquility and the grandmother knew that this ‘tranquility’ radiated from the child. She smiled as she prayed “If only,” she hesitated to ask such a thing, “if only, the joy and love of this child could be ever present as a presence of peace.” Was it too much to ask? She smiled as she realized that it wasn’t too much to ask, not for one who believes, loves, adores and hopes in God. The grandmother held the now lifeless child and through humble tears, she felt the child’s peace and knew she was not alone.

    There is a presence that is for all, it is the presence of peace. We are a people who have so much, need so much and yet, it is never quite enough. Overwhelmed by misaligned priorities, unrealistic expectations and self-imposed burdens, we seek something different, something deeper, something meaningful and everlasting. We have overcome crisis, illness, sadness, and loss, even the unexplainable. But deep within our being there is pure peace. Honestly, all we have to do is believe, love, adore and hope in the One who already dwells in us. Seek no further than yourself, for the Angel of Peace is within.

Have a Peaceful and Merry Christmas

Love, Richard & Lisa