Welcome Yule

We spend so much time of our lives switched on, scrolling, multitasking, reacting.

Miraval Resorts is an invitation to unplug and be present.

For over 30 years, Miraval has been a global leader in mindfulness and well-being, helping

people reconnect to what matters, body, mind, and spirit.

Through meditation, yoga, time and nature equine experiences, and moments designed for true

presence.

Miraval offers practical tools you can carry into everyday life.

Miraval meets you where you are, and supports wellness that actually lasts.

Discover more by visiting www.miravalresorts.com

Hey, it's Shelley Roam, so working late nights on the radio gives you a lot of quiet time

with your thoughts, and sometimes your mind just won't slow down.

I've always wondered why our minds do what they do, why they race, why we get stuck in

the same loops, and how we can actually work with our thoughts instead of fighting them.

That's what led me to the waking up app.

Created by neuroscientist Sam Harris, waking up is so much more than meditation.

It blends neuroscience, philosophy, and guided practices that help you really understand

your mind.

You learn to notice your thoughts, slow them down, and gain perspective, which makes all the

difference when you're really feeling overwhelmed.

I use waking up after long nights to reset, feel calmer, and start the day with more

clarity.

If the new year has you thinking about a smarter, more meaningful reset, explore waking

up free for 30 days with my link, wakingup.com slash Roam.

It really changes the way you think about your thoughts.

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Once upon a time, so long ago that everybody has forgotten the date in a city in the north

of Europe with such a hard name that nobody can even remember it, there was a little seven

year old boy named Wolf, whose parents were dead, who lived with a cross and stingy old

aunt, who never thought of kissing him more than once a year, and who sigh deeply whenever

she gave him a bowl full of soup.

But the poor little fellow had such a sweet nature that in spite of everything, he loved

the old woman, although he was terribly afraid of her and could never look at her ugly old

face without shivering.

As this aunt a little wolf was known to have a house of her own and an old woolen stocking

full of gold, she had not dared to send the boy to a charity school.

But in order to get a reduction in the price, she had so wrangled with the master of the

school to which little wolf finally went that this bad man vexed it having her pupils

so poorly dressed and paying so little, often punished him unjustly and even prejudiced

his companions against him so that the three boys, all sons of rich parents, made a

dredge and laughing stock of the little fellow.

The poor little one was thus as wretched as a child could be and used to hide himself

in corners to weep whenever Christmas time came.

It was the school master's custom to take all his pupils to the midnight mass on Christmas

Eve and to bring them home again afterward.

Now as the winter this year was very bitter and as heavy snow had been falling for several

days, all the boys came well bundled up in warm clothes with fur caps pulled over their

ears, padded jackets, gloves and knitted mittens and strong thick sold boots.

Only little wolf presented himself shivering in the poor clothes he used to wear both

weekdays and sundays and having honest feet only thin socks in heavy wooden shoes.

These naughty companions noticing his sad face and awkward appearance made many jokes

at his expense, but the little fellow was so busy blowing on his fingers and was suffering

so much with chill-blanes that he took no notice of them.

So the band of youngsters walking to and to behind the master started for the church.

It was pleasant in the church which was brilliant with lighted candles and the boys excited

by the warmth took advantage of the music of the choir and the organ to chatter among

themselves in low tones.

They bragged about the fun that was awaiting them at home.

The mayor's son had seen just before starting off an immense goose ready stuffed and dressed

for cooking.

At the aldermen's home there was a little pine tree with branches laden down with oranges,

weeds and toys, and the lawyer's cook had put on her cap with such care as she never

thought of taking unless she was expecting something very good.

Then they talked too of all that the Christ child was going to bring them.

Of all he was going to put in their shoes which you might be sure they would take good

care to leave in the chimney place before going to bed.

In the eyes of these little urchins as lively as a cage of mice were sparkling in advance

over the joy they would have when they awoke in the morning and saw the pink bag full

of sugar plums, the little-led soldiers ranged in companies in their boxes, the menageries

smelling a varnished wood, and the magnificent jumping jacks in purple and tinsel.

Alas, little wolf knew by experience that his old miser of an ant would send him to

bed supper-less, but with child-like faith and certain of having been all the year as

good and industrious as possible, he hoped that the Christ child would not forget him,

and so he too planned to place his wooden shoes in good time in the fireplace.

He nightmass over, the worshipers departed, eager for their fun, and the band of pupils

always walking to and to, and following the teacher left the church.

Now in the porch and seated on a stone bench set in the niche of a painted arch a child

was sleeping, a child in a white woolen garment, but with his little feet bare in spite of

the cold.

He was not a beggar for his garment was white and new, and near him on the floor was a bundle

of carpenter's tools.

In the clear light of the stars, his face, with its closed eyes, shone with an expression

of divine sweetness, and his long curling blonde locks seemed to form a halo about his

brow, but his little child's feet, made blue by the cold of this bitter December night,

were pitiful to see.

The boys, so well clothed for the winter weather, passed by quite indifferent to the unknown

child.

Several of them, sons of the notables of the town, however, cast on the vagabond looks in

which could be read all the scorn of the rich for the poor, of the well fed for the hungry.

But little wolf coming last out of the church, stopped, deeply touched before the beautiful

sleeping child.

Oh dear, said the little fellow to himself, this is frightful.

This poor little one has no shoes and stockings in this bad weather.

And what is still worse, he has not even a wooden shoe to leave near him tonight while

he sleeps, into which the little Christ child can put something good to soothe his misery.

And carried away by his loving heart, wolf drew the wooden shoe from his right foot,

laid it down before the sleeping child, and as best he could, sometimes hopping, sometimes

limping with his sock wet by the snow, he went home to his aunt.

Look at the good for nothing cried the old woman, full of wrath at the side of the shoeless

boy.

What have you done with your shoe, you little villain?

Little wolf did not know how to lie.

So although trembling with terror, when he saw the range of the old shrew, he tried to

relate his adventure.

But the miserly old creature only burst into a frightful fit of laughter.

Aha, so my young gentleman strips himself for the beggars.

Aha, my young gentleman breaks his pair of shoes for a bare foot.

Here is something new for soothe.

Very well, since it is this way, I shall put the only shoe that is left into the chimney

place, and I'll answer for it that the Christ child will put in something tonight to beat

you with in the morning, and you will have only a crust of red and water tomorrow, and

we shall see if the next time you will be giving your shoes to the first vagabond that

happens along.

And the wicked woman having boxed the ears of the poor little fellow, made him climb

up into the loft where he had his wretched cubby hole.

Desolate, the child went to bed in the dark, and soon fell asleep, but his pillow was

wet with tears.

But behold, the next morning when the old woman, awakened early by the cold, went downstairs,

a wonder of wonders.

She saw the big chimney filled with shining toys, bags of magnificent bonbons, and riches

of every sort.

And standing out in front of all this treasure was the right wooden shoe which the boy had

given to the little vagabond.

Yes, and beside it, the one which she had placed in the chimney to hold the bunch of

switches.

As little wolf, attracted by the cries of his aunt, stood in an ecstasy of childish delight

before the splendid Christmas gifts, shouts of laughter were heard outside.

The woman and child ran out to see what all this meant, and behold, all the gossips of

the town were standing around the public fountain.

What could have happened?

Oh, a most ridiculous and extraordinary thing!

The children of the richest men in the town, whom their parents had planned to surprise,

with the most beautiful presence, had found only switches in their shoes.

Then the old woman and the child, thinking of all the riches in their chimney, were filled

with fear.

But suddenly they saw the priest appear, his countenance full of astonishment.

Just above the bench placed near the door of the church, in the very spot where the night

before, a child in a white garment, and with bare feet in spite of the cold, had rested

his lovely head.

The priest had found a circuit of gold embedded in the old stones.

Then, they all crossed themselves devoutly, perceiving that this beautiful sleeping child,

with the carpenter's tools, had been Jesus of Nazareth himself, who had come back for

one hour, just to see it been when he used to work in the home of his parents.

And reverently they bowed before this miracle, which the good God had done to reward the faith

and the love of a little child, and of little wool's wooden shoes.

We spend so much time of our lives switched on, scrolling, multitasking, reacting.

Miraval Resorts is an invitation to unplug and be present.

For over 30 years, Miraval has been a global leader in mindfulness and well-being, helping

people reconnect to what matters, body, mind, and spirit.

Through meditation, yoga, time and nature, equine experiences, and moments designed for

true presence, Miraval offers practical tools you can carry into everyday life.

Miraval meets you where you are, and supports wellness that actually lasts.

Discover more by visiting miravalresorts.com.

Hey, it's Shelley Roam, so working late nights on the radio gives you a lot of quiet time

with your thoughts, and sometimes your mind just won't slow down.

I've always wondered why our minds do what they do, why they race, why we get stuck in

the same loops, and how we can actually work with our thoughts instead of fighting them.

That's what led me to the waking up app.

Waking up by neuroscientist Sam Harris, waking up is so much more than meditation.

It blends neuroscience, philosophy, and guided practices that help you really understand

your mind.

You learn to notice your thoughts, slow them down, and gain perspective which makes all the

difference when you're really feeling overwhelmed.

I use waking up after long nights to reset, feel calmer, and start the day with more clarity.

If the new year has you thinking about a smarter, more meaningful reset, explore waking

up free for 30 days with my link, waking up dot com slash Rome.

It really changes the way you think about your thoughts.

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Not just swipe and hope for the best.

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all in one place, without constant check-ins or cash runs.

Don't wait.

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