One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is the variety of twinking lights that grace the community as creatively as icing on the cookies which come with this time of  year. Some of the lights are charmingly arranged, as if an artist was designing his masterpiece. Other lights reflect the enthusiasm of a two-year old cookiemakier. 🙂 I delight in them all.

Last night I had the privilege of viewing the light displays on the ships docked in Pearl Harbor. The tour was simple, yet the atmosphere left my heart full. Seeing the lighted Arizona Memorial, with her flag flying at half-mast and the USS Missouri standing sentry nearby, merged the past, present and future. And even viewing the active ships was sobering. These ships represent lives impacting the world, and yet we all come together at this significant season to remember.

I wonder about myself. Do I glow with the joy of knowing the true significance of Christmas? When people encounter me, are they left with a refreshing fragrance that there is hope that comes with living? Does the message of my Savior’s birth set the beat of my heart? And does my heart inspire others to look heavenward?  The lights of Christmas are a symbol of Christ piercing the darkness of sin that has overwhelmed the world. We need no reminder that sin continues to consume this fragile earth; we need to be the reminders that Light exists.