A MESSAGE FROM REV. SUZANNE TRUMP: GRANTING GRACE
Greetings friends,
I have been thinking a lot about grace this past week. The holidays seem to bring stress on by the truck loads. The stress of getting everything done and ready so that we can have the perfect Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year celebrations. And I bet that for most of us the holidays with the best memories are far from perfect and that is what made them so memorable.
The neighborhood that I grew up in had a tradition of 
going around to the homes on our block to have a celebration during the afternoon on Thanksgiving. My grandmother was not a drinker but that day, a few neighbors made her some drinks, and she was feeling pretty good. We returned home for supper and when it came time to serve dessert one piece of pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream ended up on the floor, whipped cream side down. My grandmother scooped it up and popped it right in front of my grandfather, telling my now horrified mom that it was fine. We still laugh when we think of that day. Not perfect at all but a special memory that almost 50 years later still stays with me.
I am already seeing posts on Facebook about the proper greeting for the holiday season. The best post I have seen encourages us to accept a greeting given with graciousness. If someone says, “Happy Holidays” they are not taking Christ out of Christmas but acknowledging that there are many holidays that are celebrated in the next six or seven weeks.
A person may not know your religion or tradition, so they show respect by using a more generic term that encompasses all the traditions in our beautiful and diverse community. Grant grace to the person, grant grace to yourself, accept the greeting and joyfully carry on. Embrace our diverse culture and religions and be thankful for each greeting of joy and peace.
I am working hard to give myself grace this holiday season and I encourage you to do the same. We do not need things to be perfect, we do not need everyone to say the perfect greeting, just breathe and enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays. The real treasure is not in words but in the joy of family and friends, the joy of celebrating the birth of our Savior, the promises of God. The only perfection in our lives is God. May God grant us grace today and always.
Blessings,
Suzanne