Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
I have about a million wishes for this holiday season. Big ones and small ones.
As I watch Christmas movies filled with sugar plum fairies and dancing snowflakes, I wish I didn’t fail out of ballet class. My high level of grace and coordination “stunned” the teachers, and they suggested to my parents that perhaps I find another activity. (I did; hockey. I was the goalie.)
I wish I had the power to fix broken hearts and broken dreams. The holidays can be even more difficult for people who are grieving, or for those who are fighting battles we know nothing about. One of the best things I’ve read on the internet is to be sure to give lots of hugs, the big hugs that squeeze all the broken pieces of people back together.
I wish that, instead of pointing fingers and calling each other names, people would just love one another. Instead of focusing on the differences, we would all work together to find that common ground.
I wish that instead of just celebrating the movie about Mr. Rogers and his example and legacy of kindness, we’d all just live in that space of kindness; live it and pass it on to others.
I wish people would extend a helping hand rather than turn away from those in need. I wish we’d build a bigger table and give everyone a seat rather than build walls.
I wish politicians would remember that members of the opposing party aren’t enemies but neighbors.
I wish that love your neighbor meant all neighbors, not just the ones we like or resemble.
I wish that war was just a long-forgotten word in the dictionary. I wish all members of the military were at home with loved ones, and safe from the turmoil in the world. Thank you to all who serve and who have served.
I wish schools, stores, clubs, libraries, churches, newspapers, theaters were safe places and not listed among the statistics of violence.
I wish for more time with my loved ones who’ve left this earth. I wish for one more hug, one more conversation, one more smile, one more silly joke. And, I hope the memories of these by-gone moments never fade.
I wish people spent more time calling on their neighbors rather than calling them names.
I wish mistakes could be as easily erased as they were to make in the first place. The first mistake is just that, a mistake. The second is a choice. I wish we learned that sooner.
I wish that when someone wishes us a “happy holidays,” “merry Christmas” or “happy whatever,” we would receive that bit of kindness with a smile and without correction. My celebration may not be your celebration; but, those wishes are gifts shared from the heart. Accept them.
I wish we could see souls; then, we’d truly see the beauty in each other.
Patti Dobson writes about faith for The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact her at: