Hello, God. It's me, Mara.

You know, Lord, listening to some gals talking about their Christmas, even though most had already taken down their Christmas decorations, was interesting ­­- they chuckled. "Jane" shared that she was so pleased to have gotten some cookies from a neighbor, and hoped she'd said "Thank you!" "Anna" mentioned the lovely bouquet she'd received from friends, way across the state! What a lovely surprise. She taken a picture to send, to show and thank them for the lovely bouquet; the Flower Shop had done a great job it!

"Cindy" sighed, quietly mentioned that she'd sent "gifts" [1] to a few friends, and was surprised that she'd only gotten a 'Thank You!' from three of them about a week later; at least she knew the mailman had delivered those gifts, but she'd not heard a word from the rest of the folks - yes, Christmas is a busy season, but she'd hoped to hear from them.

"Sally" mentioned she'd heard some guys talking, that, sometimes when we're troubled and furious about how someone talks and acts toward them, they were told, "Look in the mirror, do you want what you heard, for you to talk like that?" She thought that was a good message to hear, also mentioned how they'd been taught as children, to say "Thank You!" added, "Did our generation forget?"

"Jill" quickly spoke, telling how her brother's friend mentioned five simple rules to make one happy: "Free your heart from hatred, Free you mind from worries, Live, simple, Give[2] more, expect less". But, most of all, let's not forget to thank our Father for giving us the best gift of all, His Son! Help us to share His generosity with others today. Thank You, Father."

Love, Mara

[1] Acts 20:35: "... it is more blessed to give than to receive." And Colossians 4:6: "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."