A Christmas message
“If only our eyes saw souls instead of bodies - how very different our ideals of beauty would be.”
TOUGH! A really tough year has come and gone, and looking back we can say that we have seen it all.
We have seen the brutality of crime, we have seen the devastation of a drought, we have seen the carnage on our roads, we have seen the suffering of the less fortunate – yes, we can say we have seen it all.
But have we really seen it all? Did we take a good look at those around us? Did we take a moment to stop and smell the roses? Did we take note when somebody achieved or when a donation came to the rescue?
These questions reminded me of the words sent to me by a friend: “If only our eyes saw souls instead of bodies – how very different our ideals of beauty would be.” I do not know who uttered these words but they made me take another look at the year gone by.
Then one realises the beauty of the kind souls who care. A donor gave a stranger a second lease on life; money from our communities helped a child with a lifesaving operation and kept the coffers of many a NPO from running completely empty; people reached out and sent young sport stars overseas and golfers filled a field in aid of a charity; the gathering of community forces to find a missing child; children who took the initiative to start fund-raisers for our wildlife; the smile from a beggar when his grateful smile blesses you for a day. I can carry on and then I can only wonder – can we truly say we have seen it all until we see the beauty, the real beauty in our daily lives?
And this is my Christmas wish for our communities: May you all have a moment in which you will be able to see the beauty, a moment to find those beautiful things around us and to let the beauty shine through brightly and dim the ugliness we so often get stuck in.
May we not forget those who will work long hours when we take a breather to relax – those who will keep us safe; those in our hospitals, children’s homes and homes with frail care centres and those behind the tills while we shop.
May you all travel safe to and from your destinations.
May you be touched by a beautiful soul this festive season and may your beautiful soul reach out and touch others.
May God bless us all and this beautiful country of ours with rain.
Carina van der Walt
Editor
