Blessings! Merry Christmas and Holiday Blessings to you and yours. I am sending you a copy of a letter a friend of mine, Bill Hamilton, just sent me. I couldn't put the seasons greetings in better form than this. I hope you find it as touching as I.
A Letter From Bill Hamilton
December 20, 2009 So, I'm reading an article in the paper this morning that is recounting the big stories of the past decade. Its subtitle: Past decade filled with dread-but also offers much hope. It recalls 9/11, natural disasters, political unrest, financial fallout, as well as surviving miners, cancer vaccines and a miraculous landing in the Hudson river. The events are huge. They have caused us to weep in sadness and joy. They, and many like them, have had global impact or at least expression. We know the name of the woman protestor killed in Tehran and the pilot who landed his plane in the Hudson. We have images on You Tube and words on Twitter invading our everyday world. And, if you are like me, it can all be very overwhelming and leave the reader (me and you) with a sense of insignificance, anxiety and hopelessness. Big world- sized stories are, for the most part, not personal and leave us with a sense of helplessness and often hopelessness. Friends, PLEASE don't allow the 'big news' to overshadow how the Good News was present all around you in this past decade. Just within my city, my small group of friends, I have witnessed dead and damaged marriages be reconciled. I know of sick people who have been healed. My Young Life friends bombard me with stories of lost kids being found. Homeless are being housed. People with real names are being loved and cared for by people I really know. They are not on You Tube, they may not have a Face Book account and there's no people waiting to Twitter their every move. They are the people who make up my community. You have them too. Our little worlds are filled with them. We are surrounded - therefore we are significant. We can make the "news" that will save a life. Our 'news' will not be turned into an image or a sound bite for the world to see. This news (knowledge) will only be known by a few. Good news comes quietly to one heart at a time. Then it moves slowly in and through a family and often leaks out into a community. This good news doesn't find its way into the media where it becomes bigger than life and gets exploited. The life changing stories we all have had the privilege of participating in, or at least been affected by, are the really big stories of this past decade. Do yourself a favor today and take time to recall some of them. In the time it takes for you to read the news you can write the news - the real news. The news that is; real people with real names that live on real streets. The real Good News has always avoided the spotlight, never needed the media and chose to quietly bring joy and hope to people along his path. The kingdom of God was not ushered into the world with front page hype and it (He) doesn't require it still. Might you determine to find peace and joy in the little miracles that surround your everyday life in this coming decade. Be a Kingdom person and change the world one story at a time. Happy New Decade! Bill Hamilton Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May your season be merry and bright!! Here is to the new year and the new decade-Good Growing
Sincerely,
The Harper Boys HARPER'S NURSERY & LANDSCAPE CO.
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