THOSE CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

     It’s a Christmas gathering. You might be at a company event with a hundred people, or church dinner with twenty-five faithfuls, or with your family of six. You hear chatter all around you, and you are in the middle of all of this. Topics of discussion can get stuck on one thing and sometimes they meander like a lazy river in a big flat valley. There you sit (or stand) among the others. Are you the one who tells your life’s story for forty minutes while others listen? Are you the one who holds a drink, says nothing, moving the weight of your body from one side to the other, impatiently waiting for someone else to break into the other person’s endless tale, or do you drift off and try to find meaningful interaction with one or two others in a corner of the room?
     These parties are not always a heap of fun. One thing I could guarantee, though, is that if you watch for and befriend someone by giving encouragement, you will leave the event feeling good about it. If it is like most gatherings, there will always be someone whom you can affirm in some way. Interesting thing, too, is that if you become known as one who is positive and affirming, you will always have someone to talk with. Although we should check our motives, you will notice that you will begin being affirmed, also. You can do this. Merry Christmas.