Love is in the air

A few Christmases ago I received one of those circular e-mails which gave an insight into a child's view on what love is. There were quotes from children of all ages many of which were humorous but many which were also very touching in their innocent simplicity. The one quote that spoke to me the most was a comment made by a young child who when asked what love was had this to say:

‘Love is what is in the air at Christmastime when you stop opening presents and just listen!’

At the time of reading this quote I thought to myself, ‘How true!’ and ever since it has been a favourite quote of mine. However when I stop to think about it I realise that this little truth offered to us from the naive perspective of a child is far more profound than I first realised it to be; for surely love is the very thing that is in the air AT ALL TIMES. We may be more attuned to receive this truth at Christmas time because our focus on life shifts for a while. It seems that in order for us to FEEL the love in the air we must be willing to do two things:
1) Slow down and stop being so busy
2) Be willing to refocus our attention towards expressing and experiencing love

So the message behind this lovely, sweet, innocent remark is very clear – not only at Christmas but all year to – if we allow ourselves to slow down and refocus ourselves away from the frantic busyness of living our lives we may find that love (the very thing we all claim to want so badly) is not so far away from us after all.
Love it seems is literally in the air, in the stillness that supports our daily living. It is that close - no matter how far away it may seem to be it can always be accessed if we have the will to find it. This was clearly demonstrated in The Christmas Truce of 1914 when on Christmas Eve both English and German soldiers fighting in the trenches decided to lay down their differences and step aside from war for a time. They joined together in the singing of Silent Night and this simple act enabled them to refocus their thoughts and energies in such away that for the duration of the evening and into the next day peace was experienced in No Mans Land.

So perhaps the best gift we can give ourselves this Christmas is the gift of stillness – even if just for an odd moment here and there in between opening our presents, pulling the crackers, cooking the dinner and visiting our relatives.

Remember Love is in the air and it’s ours for the taking.

Wishing you all a vey merry, peaceful, love-filled Christmas!

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