Greetings all:

It is Christmas Eve and I’m sitting at home with my 4-legged companions watching movies and thinking about love. Perhaps that’s because love is the theme in both movies, The Preacher’s Wife and RENT. The love I’m thinking about is the love our Creator infuses into our lives in numerous and often unrecognized ways. RENT starts with a song that raises a question I encourage all of us to think about as we approach the end of 2009.

Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes

Five hundred, twenty-five thousand moments so dear

Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes

How do u measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets in midnights, in cups of coffee,

In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife,

In five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes

How do you measure a year in the life?

How about Love?

Since last Christmas many of us have experienced times that challenged our faith and threatened our joy. We have passed through joblessness, broken hearts, sickness, loss, and yet another year in which what we have hoped for has not materialized. While I have endured all of these experiences I sit here on Christmas Eve 2009 thinking about and grateful for love. Since last Christmas my beloved 13 year old four legged companion Zami transitioned from this physical existence, I lost my job, I had financial challenges, endured heartbreak, and experienced moments of frustration. There have been other times that could have extinguished my joy but on Christmas Eve 2009 as I measure the past 365 days all I can think of is the love and the hope that God has supplied

My view of 2009 reveals that I had 13 wonderful years with a four legged creature who loved me unconditionally. I was blessed with the ability to successfully negotiate two vocations, ministry and project management/engineering for many years. I was fortunate enough to save to live comfortably for the past 10 months without a job. I was privileged to love another person deeply enough that it mattered when the relationship ran aground. The frustrations I negotiated became opportunities for self-reflection and growth.

How do you measure your past 365 days? How do we choose to reflect on the persons in our lives and the challenges we have overcome? Consider the question the song asks, “How do you measure a year in the (your) life?” I invite you to measure your life in love. You will find that even through the challenges you have been surrounded by God’s love.

My hope for you this wonderful Christmas/New Year season is that you take some time to measure your life in love.

Peace & blessings,

Dr. Kathi

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. (I Corinthians 13:13)