TNL received a Christmas card that gave pause. On it was one of her fave Chrismas carols – O Holy Night. She read:

Fall on your knees! O hear the angels voices!

Oh night divine, the night when Christ was born;

O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!

The past few weeks have been crazy. Meetings upon meetings upon meetings.  And lots to do before Sem 2 hits. Nov and Dec just weren’t enough. The worst could have been if everybody else disappears to some far flung exotic holiday resort or deciding that clearing their leave would be like now.

But hey, people were hanging around and things were getting done. Of course, there were loads to do. That’s the thing, you see. There will be loads to do. There always will be.

So receiving such a lovely card just turned the whole thing around. A gentle, silent “Hang on, remember me?”

TNL decided then that it is about time to embrace the spirit of Christmas.  And what better way then to pause. And think of all things joyous.

JOY is receiving a Christmas card (one that you can place on your desk).

JOY is knowing there are friends who continue to remind us of JOY.

JOY is seeing the busy Boys Brigade organizing the loads of food packages in their Sharity box outside NTUC.

JOY is the sun peeking out of grey clouds after a gloomy, wet day.

JOY is having dry shoes on a wet day.

JOY is having a friend say she will be going away with her family to give food to kids in the slums of Makati.

JOY is having new colleagues volunteer to take-over projects and who REALLY take-over.

JOY is hearing a conversation between loved ones that is peppered with laughter.

JOY is hearing your darling niece ask you, “What do you do at the library, Kuma?”

JOY is knowing you could do something right – for once.

JOY is knowing patience is still a virtue people hold dear.

JOY is having colleagues who are friends and will always be.

JOY is to share.

JOY is not expecting anything else in return.

JOY is knowing after all things are said and done, there is still much to look forward to.