The Sacred Season

Over the next 60 days we will travel through a calendar that includes Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Each of these provide the opportunity to reflect, celebrate, and perhaps to plan. How many times have we moved from November 1st to January 1st without doing any of the above? Perhaps the following will provide some reasons to do so?

Veterans Day - Veterans Day is a holiday held every November 11th to honor all military personnel who have served in the U.S. armed forces. Veterans Day was originally called “Armistice Day.” This date was chosen to commemorate the signing of the armistice with Germany that ended hostilities during World War I.

This should be a time for all of us to appreciate those who have invested their time and for some, their life, to ensure our safety and freedom. We should consider doing something on that day to say thank you, to be grateful and to remember. It’s the least we can do.

Thanksgiving Day - Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States, and Canada, celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. In the US, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.

Thanksgiving is a great time to appreciate who you have and what you have. It is a time for families and/or friends to meet, socialize, and enjoy each other's company, sometimes the only opportunity to do so each year. Consider saying “thank-you” in a special way this year.

Christmas Day - Christmas is a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated every year on December 25th with the exception of some Eastern churches, which use the older Julian calendar. Christmas is also celebrated by others around the world as a cultural event. In many countries, it is a public holiday. As of 1870, Christmas was observed in the United States as a federal holiday.

A period of waiting and preparation before Christmas is called the "Advent Season." In most churches, it starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. This is a GREAT time to do some annual pondering. It is sacred to spend time reflecting, learning, and re-committing. It is important to remember that there is ALWAYS a plan for our ultimate good; even when it does not seem like it!

New Year’s Day – The anticipation and enjoyment of New Year’s Day is often preceded by New Year's Eve celebrations. At midnight and with the advent of the New Year, we can see colorful fireworks shows and in New York City, a great luminous sphere called the Big Apple, which is lowered from a mast. The tradition of lowering the great sphere from the mast was born on December 31st, 1907. Perhaps this can be a symbol of burying the past and reaching forward to a new and exciting future – the one you deserve to pursue!

We encourage each of you to make your “sacred season” a time of gratitude, appreciation, reflection, and celebration as you prepare for 2019. What are you thankful for? Let us know!

We hope your intentions include learning more about your unique self, making good long-term decisions, building solid habits, and becoming accountable for your personal and professional success. Your DREAM4 Team is here to help!