Returning from Jacksonville, Florida, I had reflected on the hours of Christmas day with my immediate family. I had stellar time sharing in food, conversation, affection and a film; however, a few thoughts had come to mind during the commute from Orlando, Florida on the morning drive.

Those thoughts had encompassed three different ideas in the holiday spirit; reaching out, forgiveness, and returning love.

1)       Reaching out

What I had meant here, the act of reconnecting with someone for whatever reason you no longer speak with, whether a year, decade or more. In life, I had thought people make artificial barriers preventing a connection with friends, family and other loved ones. The artificial barriers I had alluded to, space and time. Speaking from personal experience, I had felt a little embarrassed for not keeping up with some folks after moving to a different town or a career change. The opposite was also true for some folks as well from raising kids, marriage or another “life event.” What I had known, regardless if some inquiries go nowhere, others rekindle relationships worth the effort in light of any failure. So, take chance on reaching out to someone that had enlightened your life. You might just be surprised what comes about from a call, letter, or even social media shout out.

2)      Forgiveness

With self or someone else, this tenant of Western theology had cleared the way for redemption, whether physical, mental or a combination thereof. I was not saying forget life, just let go of the emotion, move on!

3)      Returning love

Love back those that truly love you, I think I had heard that phrase before. To this point, a few years ago, a good friend had landed in the hospital sick. He had reached out for a hug. Honestly, I had stood there slow to respond. He had commented,” Get over here, I know you don’t like being touched and give me a hug.” Seriously, I was wrapped a bit too tight to really communicate on that level. Perhaps, I had thought it a sign of weakness as a man. What I had learned since then, save the stoic bit for when in the coffin. It was true gift to connect on such a level whether verbally or physically. Putting ego aside, what greater gift was there than the act of validating a loved one’s existence with the same level of intimate communication.

So with this day almost gone, I had wanted to share these moments in the spirit of Christmas with you. Hopefully, it had provided greater insight into myself, yourself.