Christmas has always been a very special time of year for me. The sights, sounds, and smells of the season stir up a wealth of emotions from my childhood. The story of the birth of the Christ child brings great comfort to me, and the thought of a jolly old man in a red suit spreading joy and cheer to all warms my soul. I love the idea of giving of yourself and asking for nothing in return.

In my youth, our house was always filled with music and song as we decorated the Christmas tree with colorful lights and homemade Christmas ornaments. The smell of fresh pine and freshly baked cookies permeated each room. On Christmas morning, we would wake at dawn and race to the tree to see what Santa had left behind. After the gift giving we would prepare to have all of our relatives over to dinner, when we would indulge in a variety of traditional homemade dishes. After we couldn't eat another bite, we would gather around the piano and sing our favorite Christmas songs heralding the birth of Christ. As an adult, I carried these traditions to my own family in hopes of spreading the good news of Christ's birth.

This year however, I was reminded that the holidays can be a very painful time of year for some. My partner's parents passed away a few years back, and, since then, Christmas has been a very difficult time. There is emptiness now where there was once a feeling of completeness. Since then, we have taken custody of his sister Sandy, who has Down Syndrome. On Thanksgiving Day, as we said our prayers of thanks before dinner, Sandy asked God if he would let her parents come back for just one more day. My heart broke in two as I looked at the pain on her face.

I found that many others share these feelings of loneliness and despair. This past year my uncle lost his wife of forty years, and my friend Eileen, who is an only child, lost her mom to cancer. To them the pain at times can seem unbearable and never ending. I give my partner, friends, and family as much encouragement as possible just by listening to them and giving them hope. I gave each a copy of Embraced By The Light in hopes that it would encourage them to know that their loved ones are not gone for good but that they will meet again with great joy and happiness. Everyone grieves differently, and I have found that some have accepted the message of Embraced with great joy while others question it. I strongly feel that I cannot force the message of Embraced on them but that by sharing these truths it will plant the seed of hope. At times when it seems that there is nothing else I can do for them I lift my heart in prayer, asking God to bless them with his peace. I encourage my fellow WAVES around the world to comfort those in despair and grief, whether it be from the death of a loved one or if they are suffering with their own burdens. Just by listening with a compassionate ear we can change the lives of so many in need for the better.

I would like to extend the joy and peace of this most special season to all of my fellow WAVES worldwide and ask them to continue to spread the news of God's love that the angels sang of more than 2000 years ago.

Happy Holidays,
Dave Colelli