I thought it would be fun to send you a Christmas letter this year. We will get "back to business" next week. I know that many of you are aware that I have a litter of little Golden retriever rescue puppies. Ten bright, little holy terrors are raising the roof in Albuquerque. What an experience it has been!
Yesterday morning at 8 AM, the big dogs were outside barking and barking. One new rescue was breaking down the door to come inside. "Hmmm," I thought. Must be a balloon outside." I opened the door and went outside in my slippers. Bright blue sky, with a yellow striped huge hot air balloon floating just above my white reindeer on the roof. It took my breath away.
New Mexico is an amazing place this time of year. Somehow the commercialism is tempered by the traditions. Green boughs wrapped around old posts. White snow on adobe walls. That blue, blue. And we get ready for the night of holy lights. On Christmas eve the whole city turns off the colored lights and lights luminaries - paper sacks filled with sand and holding a single candle. Hundreds of thousands of them. The whole city is quiet and flickering from dusk until very early Christmas morning.
This time each year, I feel very connected to the Radiant Recovery® Community. I often think that each person in recovery is like those tiny paper sacks filled with light. Nothing fancy, nothing sexy, no glamour. Just this exquisite soft, luminous light in the darkness.
I think of us as little luminaries. We eat breakfast, we have potatoes, we write notes in our journals. We chose to stand away from Christmas cookies, from eggnog, and we chose a way of being in the world that says "I want something more."
One tiny light can be seen for miles. But a hundred lights, a thousand lights, a million lights flicker in a big way.
Your commitment, your openness and willingness to heal are a light to me. You fill me with your hearts and teach me that community is the gift that holds and heals us.
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you. You lead me through the darkness. I hope you have a blessed and happy light filled time.
