'What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would give a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I would do my part.
But what I can I give him.......
....... give my heart.'
I have always loved these words by William Blake in the well known Christmas carol. Even as a child, they meant a lot to me. Now, hearing the carol again this year, the words seem even more meaningful.
We are very near the traditional time of giving, and the shops and media are full of possible gifts for friends and family. And perhaps this year, after the separation and isolation of last Christmas, there is an even stronger feeling of wanting to acknowledge how much companionship and friendship means in our lives.
However, for many, illness and loss of jobs, and all the uncertainty of what lies ahead with new variations of covid, probably means that material giving of the expensive gifts we might wish to buy is not possible. But the great comfort is, I hope, that we all have a gift which we can give, no matter what - the priceless gift of LOVE.
The traditional story of the three wise men tells of three gifts. They may have been real material objects, but they are certainly symbolic of the gifts we can both give and receive in our lives. (White Eagle has given us interesting teaching about this*.) We have been learning a lot about MYRRH, the challenges of living in a physical world, but this less welcome gift does bring with it great opportunities for developing spiritual wisdom, as well as down to earth practical kindness, such as free food parcels for the hungry and shelter for the homeless. And the gift of FRANKINCENSE is symbolic of the heavenly and angelic help - the gentleness and sweetness which is there for us all - especially if we do all we can to follow our guiding Star!
But best of all, I think, is GOLD - the gift of God's light and love in our hearts, which can shine out in the darkness of material life and transform everything.
With my best wishes for a 'gold-filled' Christmas
Jenny
* White Eagle on Festivals and Celebrations is a lovely book - and it does make a great gift!
