Silent night...

Silent night, Holy night,
all is calm all is bright,
round yon virgin, mother and child
Holy infant so tender and mild
sleep in heavenly peace,
sleep in heavenly peace...

this is one of my favorite Christmas carols,
and yet tonight,
as I sit in my home, 
I find different words coming to mind
and wonder 
how many others might be able to sing them with me...

silent night, lonely night
missing loved ones is my plight
long ago memories, brought to mind
by movies, ornaments, and the like
I know change is inevitable but why?
change is inevitable, but why?

we are surrounded by songs and advertisements shouting: 
"be of good cheer"
"have a holly jolly Christmas", etc.
spoiler alert:
sometimes that is not possible, 
and that's okay

oh dear, sweet friend
whether you are singing Silent night, Holy night, with great joy
or your heart cries different words
take your mind,
take your feelings,
take your heart, 
with whatever they hold,
and lay it all at Jesus feet, 
spend time with Him
and after being honest,
(we can't hide anything from Him anyway, so why do we try?)
be silent before Him

accept the beautiful gifts He lavishly offers
love
comfort
joy
hope
healing
purpose
wholeness
an intimate relationship with Him
for in that relationship is where we find the peace we so desperate seek

please, know, all is well with my soul,
but sometimes my heart hurts
and my eyes leak
and my nose gets stuffy
to say I think this is the most wonderful time of the year would be a lie
the truth is I miss sharing everyday life with my family 
and this time of year magnifies our distance from one another