Meat for the Hungry

Tinsel, glittering trees, sparkling lights, wreaths, and decorations in their place. Nativity displayed. Cards addressed and mailed. Candles lit. Table set. Ham glazed. Cookies baked, candies molded, nut bowls filled. Cocoa simmering, presents wrapped, ribboned, and bowed, and a family dressed to the nines. What a p e r f e c t C h r i s t m a s ! Oh, how I wish this were me. I did better with C h r i s t m a s when I was younger, probably because I started in September. Lately, though, the perfect Christmas seems elusive, and I’d rather escape into Christmas poems, books, and movies. In them, I rarely see the behind the scenes work or the chaos that ensues with my not-so-perfect Christmases. Neither is there the stress, depression, or frustration building during the holidays. Sometimes we’re missing loved ones, sometimes we’re lonely, sometimes it’s disturbing news or a serious diagnosis, and sometimes we’re simply dreading the work of putting up decorations, just to take th...

Concern. Angst. Apprehension. Anxiety. Trepidation. Fear. Worry. Sweltering heat; pounding heart; cramping pain in her throat and chest. Feeling as if crushed by a boulder, she gasps for air with lungs that just won’t fill. Lips parched and cracked. Desperate for water. Fleeing. Frightened; yet trudging on. A spring of water in the distance.  If I can make it to the spring, maybe, just maybe. Ever feel like this? What? Isn’t this is a physical scenario? True. However, anxiety, worry, fear, etc. can cause this type of emotional experience.