by Ann Albers in Northern AZ

My dear friends, we love you so very much,

Your holidays are a celebration of Light in the darkness. The Christ child came during dark times of oppression, amid taxation, in a dark, cold cave, through a young, unwed mother. The lamp stayed miraculously lit after intense massacre, war, and turmoil when hope was desperately needed. The celebration of the solstice – the darkest day of your year – marks a turning point towards the Light.

The history of each holiday is different. The celebrations are unique. Nonetheless, the vibrations of all these holidays are the same: love, peace, and hope. Each, in its own way, is a celebration of the triumph of Light over darkness that offers a ray of hope no matter how challenging times may be. You focus – some of you for the entire season, some for a moment –  on the Light and the ever-present love that waits to be sought, seen, and acknowledged.

The Light has never left you. It was present in the moment of creation. It is present in every loving glance. It is present in the birth of every child and the re-birth of every soul as they transition back into the expanded realms. The Light is in your tears as you grieve your physical losses and present in your laughter. The Light is in your joy and your sadness where it lays buried, perhaps like a seed waiting for you to acknowledge the life it wants to sprout within you.

The light is present as strongly now as it always has been. The love remains constant and unchanged. It shows up in countless different forms. To the degree that you allow it in your own heart and your own life, you will experience ever-increasing amounts of this light.

You call something a miracle when your focus on the desire is stronger than your doubt, disbelief, and focus on the problem. If you want to experience the light dear ones, focus on it. If you want to experience it as love, focus on love. If you want to experience it as abundance, focus on abundance. If you want to experience it as peace, focus on peace. For wherever you are, there the light is. Wherever you focus, that is what you experience.

Mary focused on God's grace and her willingness to receive it in the form of a child. The keepers of the temple focused on hope and reconsecrating it to the Light once again. During the solstice, you focus on longer, lighter days to come. During these turning points, your world's focus shifts from dark to Light and despair to hope. In so doing, you allow the Light – in many more beautiful forms – to flow into your experience.

Turn your focus to all that is beautiful, light, and love-filled. Focus on the warmth behind the holiday trimmings. Enjoy your material world. It, too, is a manifestation of Light. Remember, however, to appreciate the love behind it. Love your gatherings by focusing on the good within all. Love your traditions – new or old – by focusing on the good feelings they bring. Love your meals and treats as symbols of loving care. Love your gifts as emblems of love; whether or not you like the thing, appreciate the thought. Love your decorations for the artistry and creativity in each.

Everywhere you look, see the love. With each sparkling Light, each candle burning bright, think about and appreciate the sparks of Light within each one of you. If you have lost love in the form of a dear one, open to feeling them as they are now, for they know where you are, and they feel closer to you than can be described in human terms and want to share that Light with you.

The Light is never gone. It is there for you all. It is simply waiting for your focus to invite it into your hearts, lives, and communities. Welcome the Light into your heart during this season by focusing on it more; in so doing, you will experience more of it each day.

God Bless You! We love you so very much.
-- The Angels