A little boy and girl were singing their favorite carol in church the Sunday before Christmas. The boy concluded "Silent Night" with the words, "Sleep in heavenly beans."

 

"No," his sister corrected, "not beans. Peas."

 

The story reminds me of the wonderful and hectic holiday season many of us experience each year.

Dave Garroway was, for many years, the host of the TODAY show on NBC television. Someone once asked him about his understanding of Christmas. He replied: "I've noticed that when people are asked what they want for Christmas, nine times out of ten, they answer with something material. That used to be amusing to me, but it's not amusing to me any longer. I happen to be one of those people who can afford anything he wants, but I find what I really want, I can't buy at all. I want peace of mind, peace of soul; the kind of peace you have when you don't really want anything."

 

What do YOU want for Christmas? Or if you don't celebrate Christmas, what do you want for your life. For your world?

 

For me, what I want cannot be bought or gift wrapped. What I want most can best be summed up in words like "faith" and "hope" and "love."

 

For myself, I want faith. Faith enough to see light in even the bleakest of situations. Faith enough to believe that goodness will prevail in the end.

 

For my loved ones I want hope. Abundant hope. Hope in tomorrow. A hope that helps them believe that better times lay ahead so they can take that next step.

 

For my world I want love. And I believe that the solutions to most of our biggest problems will only be found when we decide that we are indeed one family. The problems of war, health care, crime in city streets, immigration and unemployment take on a different hue when I am talking about my brothers and sisters whom I love dearly.

Do you also want things you can't buy? What if we all decided to go after those things this year that truly matter? That could be the greatest gift of all.