The Gift of Peace

This time of year, many of the holiday cards we receive (and maybe send) wish "peace on earth."

So how do we get there? And especially, how do we get to peace in our own lives and within ourselves?

Peace is not something that can be postponed. "I'll be at peace as soon as..." doesn't work, because even after the value of our retirement fund reaches seven figures, or we finish school, or get a relationship, or loose a relationship, there is always something else.

Instead, we can remember what A Course in Miracles says: "I can choose peace instead of this."

You might be planning your Christmas day activities with some amount of trepidation. There might be someone you have old issues with, or be planning to do something you really don't want to do.

The greatest gift you can give yourself, beyond diamonds, a new Lexus, or anything Nordstrom stocks, is forgiveness. Of ourselves, of others, even of God.

The gift of Peace is always there for us--we just need to access it. Not by giving up, but by giving in.