What is it about those happy moments when we have a fond memory of some person or event in our past? We are taking out an old photo and looking at it, but the photo only exists in our mind. Yet, somehow invokes that feeling of joy, pleasure, happiness, excitement finds a way to continue that feeling in our present moment where we are with different people, in a different situation.
How we celebrate our holidays now is different than the way we used to celebrate. Look back a century or more and there were beautiful songs that people used to sing before the wave of music that we grew up with. To get a taste of that, check out a show called Rocky Mountain Revels in Boulder. I have seen the show several times over the years, and it changes every year, when they mine a vein of old music, with this year's theme being old Celtic music, stories and dance that were seasonal favorites long ago. Like me, you might find yourself humming some of those old tunes more than the contemporary ones. Above is a picture from the Revels website.
If you are not able to get out there, another great example of that older style of holiday music is in a concert that Sting did in 2015, which you can see for free on You Tube. The concert is called A Winter's Night. As you might imagine, his concert features performances by a stellar group of musicians.
Below is a photo I took at the Denver Botanic Gardens Blossoms of Light Show. It is spectacular the way they light up the gardens for the holidays. It is another beautiful thing that we have now that did not exist when I was growing up. Now I see that other botanic gardens and around the country are also doing light shows at the holidays.
These entertainments are great for both adults and children. Revels includes people of all ages in its cast, and of course, people take kids to the Botanic Gardens.
I bring these events to your attention because you might enjoy some different seasonal celebrations.
Think about how else these different was of celebrating can light up our lives not just on the day we do it, but for many years after.
Moments of light that illuminate our lives contain more than we immediately recognize. Long after events have passed and we can't find the photos, the images and melodies that flash through our minds light up our moods and bring a smile to our face. Beyond the holidays, in other contexts, we can access these moments of light and joy when we need to give ourselves a little boost.
That is why at this time of year, it is easy for us to recall joyful seasonal images and feelings from our holiday celebrations of the past. Interestingly, when we recall earlier memories and then compare them to our present, where we find ourselves in a different world today.
We now have different ways of doing our business, we have different ways of celebrating our holidays. We have different ways of living.
In some of the old songs we rediscover heartfelt values, a bit of humor and lyrical beauty. When we let our imaginations go, we might dream up a whole new way to do our garden or our home. The lights show you the beauty of the botanic gardens in a whole different way than in the daylight. Creativity, joy and kindness light up our lives all year round. And all of this helps us to connect with spirit even more closely.
I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do!
Have a wonderful day!
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