Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Before you say I can't, make sure you've tried. Before you let doubt stop you, confront it with facts. Before fear holds you back, go forward with faith. Before you believe others are better, show them you are a winner. Before you dismiss any of your dreams, wait until they've come true. Before you go looking for happiness, make your own wherever you are.
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be.
A life in this world is not about routine but doing something rare. To cherish and not to compare, to forgive and not to blame, and to be loving without counting. Laugh at your mistakes but learn from them, joke over your troubles but gather strength from them. Have fun with your difficulties but overcome them. God has a reasons why he allows you to live.
The real differences around the world today are not between Jews and Arabs; Protestants and Catholics; Muslims, Croats, and Serbs. The real differences are between those who embrace peace and those who would destroy it; between those who look to the future and those who cling to the past; between those who open their arms and those who are determined to clench their fists.