So-much-makes-sense-once-we-get-the-connections - Merry Christmas everyone

One family Crhistmas in Australia

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Christmas Greeting to our pet kangaroo

Our usual Christmas tree

Sharing the presents under our Christmas tree

Our Boxing Day barbeque with friends

Our family Christmas corner

Cellebrating New year on our backyard

On our backyard on the Christmas morning

Cleaning after Christmas cellebration

Our dog in our front garden

Sitting in a tree in our backyard feeling good

Enjoying our ocean backyard

Going for a ride in our motor boat

Going for a ride in a yacht

Admiring an old ship, which the first migrant used to get to Australia

Looking confidently in the future: " I am the lucky one, I live in Australia."

The Christmas morning on the Swan River

Sailing on the Swan River

Christmas bush flowers

Sailing away on an old ship on the second Christmas Day

Annual Christmas Yacht Race

Celebrate Christmas with your sponsored child

A decade ago my last child was born

around the first Christmas we nearly lost him

I realised, in this world

life is a fickle thing

Across the world

ten million children

die every year

Often I find

I will go for an hour drive

and I will see three or four things

in someone's backyard

through the shop window

in the street

that seem marvelloulsy funny,

moving and precious

moments frozen in time

happy snaps of our fortunate lives,

' Celebrate Christmas

with your sponsored child'

a 'World Vision' billaboard

around the corner

greeted me

I suddenly realized

that my little sheltered life,

my sick baby and my family

are not the only things

I should worry about.

Soon there will be another Christmas

my youngest son is ten

and so is my sponsored child

'WANAKKAM!

May you be blessed with a long life

my dear sponsor.'

I read again his brief report of his life.

He lived in a small fishing village

in North West part of Sri Lanka

there was no water for drinking,

the climate was very hot and dry.

His Father could not catch any fish

so he started to farm,

the only food he ate was rice.

Few years back

a Christmas tidal wave came

and swept his village away

a long civil war started again

in his Tamil homeland

and was lost to the Sinhalese

ruling side.

He wishes to have a home,

to have enough to eat,

to go back to school,

to study to be a doctor,

instead

he is one of the 300,000 displaced

Tamils in Sri Lanka

locked in a internment camp

looking for a way out...

he is lucky

he still has his family around.

I folded his translated letter

with a big sigh

I realised, in this world

life is fickle thing

I am so grateful

he is still alive.

Across the world

ten million children

die every year

l go for another drive

and see careless people

through the shop windows

absorbed in pre-christmas

shopping spree

moments frozen in time

happy snaps of our fortunate lives

at the same time

in the middle of the ocean

Tamil women and children

risk their lives

with people smugglers

fleeing the genocidal war

seeking a better life

on our shores

maybe next time

there will be

among them

my sponsored child.

They are refugees

asylum seekers

illegal immigrants

dispossessed of all necessities of life

'How many boat people should we allow in?'

ask Australians casually:

' If you cross the Afghan border illegally, you get shot,

but you want our jobs, free education and health care,

therefore you come here on your leaking boats.'

'Go back, where you belong.'

'Stop the increasing tide of uninvited immigrants.'

I read the new billaboards

on a street corner

next to Christmas angels

spreading joy and love.

I mingle among the crowd

full of Christmas cheer and spirit

my fellow Australians

many of them immigrants,

'boat people of the past'

what happened to us?

We can stop the wretched

reach shore

we can violate international law

we do not care if there is no

safe place for them at home

we are protecting our borders,

our comfort, our way of life.

Across the world

ten million children

die every year

MERRY CHRISTMAS MY SPONSORED CHILD

I REALISED, IN THIS WORLD

AT THIS TIME, AMONG MY PEOPLE

LIFE IS JUST A BARGAIN

A FICKLE THING

I HOPE YOU ARE ALIVE NEXT YEAR...

Just enjoy your careless Christmas Day my fellow Australians

It is a great day to make positive connections

with displaced and unfortunate people

from all around the world.

Amazon Books

	The Gift of Confirmation Sponsors: For Sponsors of Children Being Confirmed (Gift Of... (ACTA Publications)) Amazon Price: $3.00 List Price: $5.95

Scattered images in my mind - Christmas

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Christmas ceremony suggests three things. Firstly, that this particular event is very important as it was for our great grandparents back in Europe.

Secondly, it commonly needs the support of images from the past, flowers from Australian Christmas tree

Thirdly we need a quiet place to contemplate and reflect

on a balmy Christmas evening.

We talk about the past, comment on present and make plans for our future.

We sit there until the sunset.

Until the first Christmas star appears on the sky.

Until it is completely dark.

Then our Australian Christmas angel appears in the bush and we kiss each other and wish; 'Merry Christmas'.

In the morning we wake up in our beach weekend house.

We share a piece of chocolate

smell a rose

and share a piece of nut

Two lovebirds appears in the bushes near our window and we feel the love

We see the endless beach from our window

We pack the water and basic food and aim for our Christmas Island

without human footprints

a friendly seal come to greet us. The island is his home.

seals greet us and let us stay

in their Christmas paradise

and here we spend our Christmas Day

A CELEBRATION OF HUMAN SPIRIT 

Christmas is here
again

those gaudy Christmas decorations in the stores
from the early November
the marketing blitz
with colourful dose of good cheer
and cheating us of our hard earned money
just like every year

It invites us to indulge
and we do
in the commercialism of another festive season
just like before
did you say?
You can not afford it this year.

It invites us to get together
as a family
and share great food, too much wine
today’s events and tomorrow’s plans
and old stories that mysteriously expand
in details over the years.
Did you say?
You can not cope with family gatherings,
those false smiles and awkward greetings,
differences of opinion 
downright dislike
the difficulty of keeping the peace.

It invites us to pray in church
‘celebrate the birth of Jesus’
a sense of mystery, a sense of glory
surrounds us
religious ceremonies invite us
to contemplate
to believe in a miracle
to be good enough to be reborn again,
to cheat death.

Christmas is here
again


Let’s celebrate life,
the primary aim of all beings
to cherish and sustain
that blood flow
through us

All religions
in their best incarnation
teach and guide us
that our own personal desire
for life
does no hinder the life
of others
listen to their teachings
their desire to have life
for all beings
flow in harmony
with each other.

Let not the fox hunt the rabbit,
nor one man slay another,
may the lion lie down
with the lamb.
Did you say?
You can not go to church.
You do not believe in religions,
and how sad it is 
that after hundreds of years,
centuries even
of animosity
between the followers and sects,
religious leaders
still preach about differences
there is still no sign 
of coming together
under one banner of peace.
Yet Christmas is here
again

Let’s celebrate life,
it is open invitation
to everyone

An invitation to wonder,
a sense of mystery
around Christmas event
is just part of our human thirst
for meaning.
This event deserves at least
a few minutes of silence,
contemplation.
A ceremony is an invitation
to consider:
‘ What does this mean for me?’
Let’s follow me,

I invite you for a taste

of my Australian Christmas,

salty taste in your mouth,
a bright sky,
open space
and endless ocean with huge waves…

Imagine that you are floating
over the waves
just beyond the breakers at the beach.
You can see the wave coming
/like the wave of anger
or disappointment or hurt/.
Feel yourself just drift up
over the face of the wave
and glide down
the other side.
Trying to stop the wave
will only result
in you
getting dumped.

Just let be and let it pass.

You can not change the world.
What you can change
is how you are.

Connect with your own values.
Gentleness, respect, integrity, love.
Yes, you may feel infuriated,
sad or anxious,
but stay true,
who you are.


Christmas is here 
again

Our Christmas ritual is evolving thing
and I think
that’s part of its appeal.
Now we do it differently.
Establishing our own tradition
for our own children
to build on
when it’s their turn.

For us,
who’ve lost their parents
or
see the years beginning to take their toll.
We feel the urgency,
to savor every moment
we understand
why
the lonely
made to fell even more alone
by the festivities.

Let’s think about others
less fortunate than us
the refugees caught in limbo,
terminal patients in hospitals,
families doing it tough
Let’s be conscious
of the pain of others
There are so many of them
worse off than us.

Let’s share the festive meal
all around
the abundance of food and drinks
make us just more full than alive

Take a time to eat
one little piece
of nut
admire its texture
rub it against your skin
smell the earthly aroma
savour it’s taste on your tongue

So little is required

to give symbolic meaning
to your everyday routine,
there is no need
for elegantly wrapped
packages of money,
just your blood, sweat, tears
and a lots of love.
Listen to your heart.
It will tell you
how to do it right.
Make this Christmas
a living ceremony,
a celebration of human spirit
whatever is your beliefs,
values and aspiration.
Not a dead ritual.

Christmas is here
again

Did you say,
you have nothing to celebrate?

Then just pack up
and go for a holiday.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

TO YOU ALL

JUST FEW MORE DAYS

TO GO

IF YOU AGREE

WITH A BITTERSWEET TASTE

CHRISTMAS HAS FOR US

NOWADAYS

PLEASE

ENTER MY QUESTON TIME

ON MY BLOG:

http://bittersweetbeata.blogspot.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS

TO YOU ALL

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	Creating Family Traditions: Making Memories in Festive Seasons (Let's Make a Memory Series) Amazon Price: $10.62 List Price: $16.99