Silent Night

Last night the internet went off. The Cable was acting funny . I got tired of dealing with it all so I turned everything off, and then, something happened...my house was silent. The boy was fast asleep. The dogs were all in their beds dreaming of dog bones I'm sure. Grant was underway. The neighbors weren't outside smoking and laughing (or fighting for that matter) It was silent. It was peaceful. The Christmas lights outside were twinkly. My Christmas tree was beautiful. It was a Silent night. I think I finally understand the Christmas carol. 42 years, and I finally got it.

I thought about the "original" silent night. There were no electronic devices. There were no planes flying over head. There were no Marines setting off explosives. It was Silent. The only noise was that of nature, of humanity. Cattle mooing, sheep sheeping, chickens clucking, and a baby crying. That baby is what made the night become holy. That baby came into the world the normal way. No one twittered, or Facebooked, or even blogged. It happened, and those who were waiting for a sign got one..not by an iPhone, but by Angels..and a single star.
We get so caught up in the sounds of this season we forget the reason for the season. It wasn't a huge celebration on that first night, it was quiet, it was calm.. I keep thinking of that saying "Be still, and know that I am" It started on that first Silent, Holy night. The world was calm. The world was still. We need to find that calmness in our lives, not just during this season, but every day. We may not get to be Silent, but we can keep the Holy in our hearts.
So, today, I wish all of you a Silent, Holy night. Let the Reason for the Season be with you.