Our minds and schedules get so full in December that we often find it difficult to be present. Some of us may be ready for the month to be over before it ever begins. Yet the underlying power of December is presence, with ourselves, our family, our spirituality; who we are and how we love. This December, in particular, I am so glad for the holidays that bring me back to the value and power of foundational grounding and simple practices: practices that give us the strength and courage we need to be present in and to this great big, hectic, often scary world.