As we rush through the extra stuff we all do to “get ready for Christmas,” how easy it is to lose track of what it’s all about.

The same thing is true of everyday life. We rush about doing what is required or expected, ticking off the items on our “to-do” list each day.

Somehow, in all of that, we may secretly wonder what happened to meaning in our life.

Deep inside our heart, we know life is not about completing a to do list. It’s not about work. Work

is what we do to survive.

We may have a lot, but still feel that something is missing.

And when you get as old as I am, you finally have the answer that’s been hidden under all the busy layers of your life.

The answer to true meaning is love.

Love that sweeps away resentment and stops measuring what we give versus what we receive.

Love that you give away expecting nothing in return.

Of course, when you give love to anyone you do get something in return. You get an inner peace and a quiet joy that lights up your inner being.

Love is one of the only inexhaustible resources. The more you give away, the more you have.

The older I get, the more love I share with those in my life. I’m not just talking about friends and family. When I look at the good qualities in those around me, I can’t help but feel love for them and for the goodness I see in them.

Right about the time I was thinking about this, someone forwarded a piece that’s been making its rounds of the internet. It’s called a Christmas version of 1 Corinthians 13.

So many people are relating to this and sharing it on Facebook. Unfortunately, they didn’t credit the writer, and I won’t use anything other than my own writing unless I can credit the source.

The beauty of the internet is that we can learn anything by asking Google. I learned the writer was Sharon Jaynes who wrote it for Moody Publishing. So now I’m sharing it with readers.

1 Corinthians 13 Christmas Style

“If I decorate my house perfectly with lovely plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls, but do not show love to my family — I’m just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family – I’m just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family – it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn’t envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of your way but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Love never fails. Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.

I love the ending of what she wrote. It’s the giving of love that will endure.

I’ve always believed the best gift we can give someone is not something that can be put in a box or wrapped in paper.

I just gave that message to my precious firstborn grandchild.

Thoughtful and generous, Grayson likes to buy gifts for everyone. Now that he is out of college and working, he has more money to spend on gifts.

So he wrote to me and asked me to send him a link for a gift I especially want.

I told him what I want most can’t be found in any store or catalog.

I want the gift of spending time with him. Because we live far apart and his job offers little free time, I don’t get to spend time with him anymore.

That’s what I want from him for Christmas. I want to spend one-on-one time with him. I don’t care if we just go off together to eat a Philly cheesesteak and talk. It’s being with him and listening to his thoughts that I value most.

I am looking forward to doing that with him.

As we celebrate this season of giving, I am acutely aware that being with family is a priceless gift that can never be taken for granted.

I am also aware that many people have an unhappy Christmas season because they are wrapped up in thinking about who is missing from their life rather than being grateful for those who are there.

Take time to celebrate everyone in your life and give them the genuine gift of love.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.