• Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home! - Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, 1836.
  
  
• Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. - Laura Ingalls Wilder
  
  
• For the spirit of Christmas fulfils the greatest hunger of mankind. - Loring A. Schuler

In the Chinese language the word for ‘busy' is composed of two characters – ‘heart' and ‘killer'. Only one hundred years ago the breakdown of the strongest pump in the world, the human heart, was still regarded as a medical curiosity. Fast forward to the 21 st Century where ‘busy' is the byword for modern living, and it is no surprise that hundreds of thousands of hearts now fail every year. Yet the true heart of each one of us is not within our body, but within our consciousness. For the spiritually minded it is the soul, because soul is what we are.

"Knowing the self and knowing God brings light into the darkness,and brings love back into our lives whereby we can reach out to others.The world will change when we are able to share this Godly light and this endless love. When I know myself I can really meet others. My vision will not be disturbed by our differences but I will recognise the same essence in others."

There are many reasons why people oppose each other; misunderstanding, resistance to change, competitiveness. If someone decides to hold on to their negativity, no amount of analyzing or reasoning can ease the situation. At such times, only patience and more patience will help a closed mind gently unfurl itself.