Lately, ladybugs congregated on both the bedroom windows which I call home right now. I could not help but wonder why. Ladybugs symbolize luck. Legend tells of a farmer whose grapvines were overrun by aphids. In answer to his prayer for help, ladybugs swarmed his vineyards next day and ate up all the aphids.
Other than the red hue, one would wonder why ladybugs count in the symbols of Christmas. As a child, did you ever have a ladybug land on you? "Kiss of luck," is the proverb. However, the simple delight of a ladybug kiss brought joy. Joy is another of the four Advent gifts. Even amid the hustle and bustle of the season, we may find joy in the simplest actions.
As a grown up, I still delight in lying beneath a Christmas tree and gazing up into the alighted branches. I still savor that first whiff and sip of hot chocolate. A cool crisp night, bright with a full moon enchants the senses. Hearing a child sing a Christmas song or a Children's Nativity are sounds and sights to treasure. We all have something which transports us back to childhood via a scent, sound or memory. Simple joys are all around us if we only stop and allow them to alight upon us, like a soft ticklish ladybug kiss.