Merry Christmas Dear Reader,
This was a peculiar Christmas. Peculiar in a nice way of course and a first for us. We had people for Christmas that we had never met. There was even a posibility of another person but she managed to find an alternative. You might be wondering whether or not I have lost my mind well I haven't... I think I've talked about couchsurfing before. (http://couchsurfing.com)
Well this year we've tried and tested it and have found it a great experience. We joined for numerous reasons. At the moment we can't travel or are not as free to travel. There's a saying that, "if the mountain will not come to Mohammet, the Mohammet will go to the mountain." I suppose that it has become our way of travelling. There's also a very importnant part of the Rule of St Benedict about hospitality and welcoming in the traveller. I gives us the occasion to give our time and efforts for other people. It's also nice just having people around the house. Even Killian who's only 8 said he liked couchsurfing because "you get to meet new people and make new friends." Charity is the purest form of love and what better way to love one's fellow man than to offer him shelter when he's travelling.
Christmas is that time of year when the Marketing people get really flustered wondering about sales figures and the sales people want to know the latest turnover figures. The secular Christmas has become this orgy of consumerism, to fill you house with decorations, to fill you face with food and wine, to fill your children's rooms with new toys, to fill your head with Christmas TV and films. This is the only occasion that I will talk about Xmas. Because that is all it is. X. And definitely not Christ.
The real Christmas is about celebrating how God came down to earth to live aomngst us. Did he come as a king, No. When you read the Nativity stroy in Luke and Mathew's gosels the story is very simple but it's so full of meaning. every little thing has a meaning. Why was he not born in Nazereth for example. The census was about bringing people of Jesus' own ancestry together in one place. Bethlehem was full of his extended fmaily and there was no place for Him. They had to accept a cow shed and the Baby was put in the feeding trough. Not the kind of welcome you would expect for a Saviour.
That really spoke to me and I decided that for this Christmas I would welcome people into myhouse. Generally with couchsurfing people arrive as strangers but leave as friends. Thishappened yet again. You get to know the people to some extent by sharing mails etc. but you'recompeltely sure. There's a great part of trust, but when people come through you leave a reference and this reflects on the person. We lay down certain rules too like, nobody in Killian'sroom and Killian is never alone with a couchsurfer.
Nearly time for lunch Dear Reader so I'll wish you a bon eppetit.
Take care and talk soon,
Ian
This was a peculiar Christmas. Peculiar in a nice way of course and a first for us. We had people for Christmas that we had never met. There was even a posibility of another person but she managed to find an alternative. You might be wondering whether or not I have lost my mind well I haven't... I think I've talked about couchsurfing before. (http://couchsurfing.com)
Well this year we've tried and tested it and have found it a great experience. We joined for numerous reasons. At the moment we can't travel or are not as free to travel. There's a saying that, "if the mountain will not come to Mohammet, the Mohammet will go to the mountain." I suppose that it has become our way of travelling. There's also a very importnant part of the Rule of St Benedict about hospitality and welcoming in the traveller. I gives us the occasion to give our time and efforts for other people. It's also nice just having people around the house. Even Killian who's only 8 said he liked couchsurfing because "you get to meet new people and make new friends." Charity is the purest form of love and what better way to love one's fellow man than to offer him shelter when he's travelling.
Christmas is that time of year when the Marketing people get really flustered wondering about sales figures and the sales people want to know the latest turnover figures. The secular Christmas has become this orgy of consumerism, to fill you house with decorations, to fill you face with food and wine, to fill your children's rooms with new toys, to fill your head with Christmas TV and films. This is the only occasion that I will talk about Xmas. Because that is all it is. X. And definitely not Christ.
The real Christmas is about celebrating how God came down to earth to live aomngst us. Did he come as a king, No. When you read the Nativity stroy in Luke and Mathew's gosels the story is very simple but it's so full of meaning. every little thing has a meaning. Why was he not born in Nazereth for example. The census was about bringing people of Jesus' own ancestry together in one place. Bethlehem was full of his extended fmaily and there was no place for Him. They had to accept a cow shed and the Baby was put in the feeding trough. Not the kind of welcome you would expect for a Saviour.
That really spoke to me and I decided that for this Christmas I would welcome people into myhouse. Generally with couchsurfing people arrive as strangers but leave as friends. Thishappened yet again. You get to know the people to some extent by sharing mails etc. but you'recompeltely sure. There's a great part of trust, but when people come through you leave a reference and this reflects on the person. We lay down certain rules too like, nobody in Killian'sroom and Killian is never alone with a couchsurfer.
Nearly time for lunch Dear Reader so I'll wish you a bon eppetit.
Take care and talk soon,
Ian
1 commentaire:
wouaw c'est beau c'qu tu dis au début , je suis impressionée... ian le poète! ;)
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