My wife and I just returned a few days ago from a trip to Mexico that had originally been scheduled for our wedding anniversary in October, but was postponed when I spent most of that month sick with COVID and then a slow recovery.

We said even before we left that one of the silver linings of the rescheduling was that Mexico would be a bigger contrast to Minnesota in December than October, which was very true—the day we left home, I think the morning temperature was the n the teens here and the 70s there!

It was kind of disorienting to have Christmas music in the background as we relaxed on a beach with palm trees, pelicans, and highs in the 80s each day, but it was lovely!

Returning from the trip, we found ourselves ready to lean into the holiday season with its colder temperatures, snow flurries, and full calendar of events. The day after we got home, we put up our Christmas tree, and will finish decorating the house in the next few days as we also settle back into our professional lives.

We asked ourselves, as we packed to leave the resort, how we might bring a little of the spirit of our vacation home with us, into our daily lives. We couldn’t bring home the ocean view, but perhaps we can frame and hang some images from this and other vacations on our walls. We couldn’t bring home the luxurious spa, but perhaps we can schedule occasional spa days rather than waiting three years for our next big trip to indulge in that kind of self-care. We couldn’t bring home the all-inclusive meals at restaurants and from room service, but we can enjoy some “luxury” foods as regular treats for ourselves without waiting for special occasions.

As we move through not only a busy holiday season, but all the unknowns of the near future, it feels imperative to us to care for ourselves and each other, and for the people we love, in as many ways as we can. Maybe it starts with keeping a little bit of a vacation mindset, a deeper level of self-care than we are in the habit of providing ourselves.

What do you need in this time? What “luxuries” might you choose to include more often in your daily lives? How will you nourish yourself (physically, emotionally, spiritually) for the challenges ahead?

UUFM is one of the places I hope you each find some of that nourishment—where else do you find it?

To whom might you offer it?

In this season often associated with presents, let’s also focus on our presence.

In gratitude,

Rev. Diana