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In Her Heart...12.19.10

In Her Heart

My three-year old daughter told me that her cousin, grandmother and aunt were "in her heart".  She knows this because upon their respective deaths it was explained to her that when a person leaves this world, they really are never far from us, for they dwell in our hearts.
She remembers that.  She spoke it to me during a conversation we were having about this year's holiday celebration.
The holiday season brings much.  We are invited to stop and ponder the parts of ourselves that we often overlook throughout the year.  We are once again engaged deeply in our friends and family.  The fabric of our lives change for a time.
It is at this time that we often hear of and read about what it means to be alive, what it means to love and be loved.  We begin to take on, more often than not,  the qualities that we so dearly hold true to our hearts--such as compassion, forgiveness and empathy, to name a few.
My three year-old remembers that those who have gone before us still reside in our hearts.  While they are not here with us physically, they have simply changed form and remain with us nonetheless.  She doesn't just say the words...she believes them.
She believes them because she knows no other way.  It is who she is.  A trusting child.
The holiday season does not have to end because time marches on.  As Santa Claus from "Frosty the Snowman" says about magical Christmas Snow to Karen, "It may go away but it is always here in the form of spring and summer rains, until the December winds kiss it and it returns".
Children know this.  They know this about magical Christmas Snow and they know this about the souls of others; both are always with us.  They also know this about the mystery of love and how it endures all.
While you celebrate your holiday, know too, that those that have gone before you are really right with you.  Also know that the holiday season never really ends, it simply changes form.
Mr. Casten
Dec. 19, 2010

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