
Epiphany
What could you do with the gift of a fresh start? Imagine your slate has been wiped clean, you are indebted to no other person, any burdens of guilt have been lifted away, you have just what you need and no more, you stand equal to everyone else. What would you do with that gift?
Epiphany means a sudden realisation or divine manifestation. Hence why the term is used in connection with the Baptism of Jesus (performed by John the Baptist), the Birth of Jesus (also the time when the Magi who had followed the star visited the infant Jesus), and in certain traditions, the period of Epiphany extends as far as Lent. It is a time of divine discovery and self discovery - the realisation of truth, and revelation of spiritual truth or life purpose.
What benefit could you recognise, if you understood and allowed your true purpose for living to just become? What would happen if you allowed your inner self to be unveiled; without fear of being misunderstood; and without painting additional and unnecessary colour upon it?
The best gift you can give to the world is your untarnished self. The best gift you can receive is already within you. You just need your Epiphany.
May you be blessed with a Happy and New Year from all of us in the River of Life, and to borrow a phrase... some gifts are not only for Christmas, but for life.