Practicing being lonely.

It's Boxing Day and I'm practicing being "family-less" again.

Family all went various ways today, visiting old friends and in-law family members, etc. and it's very quiet in the house, which only yesterday was a veritable buzzing bee hive of activity with noise levels far above that of today's.

It's quiet with only husband and I here.

I was thinking about Easter today actually. The quietness of the day here in our home, reminded me of how it may have been between the time of Jesus death and His resurrection. I think there were those that were stunned into silence because of the lost hope his friends experienced when their friend, Jesus, died on that cross.

But even before that, there were days of much activity in the hills of Judea.........crowds of people everywhere, wanting to hear what The Teacher was speaking about, wanting to be healed of their diseases, wanting their blindness gone, thinking that 'if only' I could touch him I would be made well. There was just a lot of stuff happening. Jesus must have been bushed and the disciples along with him.

The shouts of "Hosanna" only the week before, gave way to shouts of "crucify him". And so it was. The world became quiet. The disciples most likely didn't know what to do without the presence of their friend. They needed to take stock and carry on without him.....and they would. "The Comforter" came to be with them and stayed.....and has stayed with a lost world ever since.

That was my thinking today as the busyness of the Christmas season is over. Another day and everyone leaves for their own city again.......to their own homes. We get lonely for the ones we love but Jesus has left us his living Spirit to dwell within us to take our loneliness and enable us to move forward and be encouraged. We too, will carry on without them.

Good thing He also left us with technology of phones, blogs and web cams!