Elaine, I've said it before, but I need to say it again: Your story always amazes and inspires me. You understand what it means to celebrate and experience joy more than just about anyone I know. Many blessings to you and your family this Christmas!

Dave, I love it when several of us seem to be mulling over the same ideas at the same time, turning them over in our minds and eventually sharing them with each other so we can all grow from the collection of insights. Thank you for connecting more of the dots, and sharing of yourself here. I hope you have a very meaningful, joyful Christmas.

Cynthia, it is amazing "how God talks in a theme to a number of people at once" (and I love how you worded that). You bring up a really important point: the alienation of people who are not feeling full of gladness. I opened a tab with your blog post and am looking forward to reading it! Thanks for letting us know about it, and Merry Christmas.

Jeb, you nailed this: "To truly appreciate the splendor of anything, often we must intimately know it’s opposite." And yes, it's a very hard lesson to learn. I suspect we'll be struggling with it most of our lives, but I'm very glad we can be encouraging to each other along the way. Merry Christmas, friend.