So many blogs stop.
So many of us claim to want to write, then don’t.
Life is terribly funny that way, isn’t it? What we claim to want to do and what we do are at times/often not the same. Perhaps it is just me.
This holiday season was, in so many ways, wonderful.
My hubby and I carved time away together. We attended parties with old, dear friends. We had dinner with wonderful, new friends.
As a family (or parts of family) we went to the Nutcracker; laughed heartily at the Melodrama; gave to a family in need; enjoyed carols and church; read parts of a beautiful Advent book.
We were incredibly organized for us. No staying up Christmas Eve to wrap presents, Christmas cards got mailed on time, and money was deposited into our oldest’s account as a gift and to buy his Christmas dinner. All of those were wonderful improvements over years’ past where good intentions and reality were a tad bit out of sync.
The Christmas dinner was fantastic–I do love to cook turkey–but that wasn’t enough to salvage my mood.
I shot way too many dirty looks in my hubby’s direction. When my reality and my expectations didn’t meet up, I let my petty trump my grace.
Again.
Due to extended family drama, I already had a counseling appointment set up for the day after Christmas. I paid someone to talk to me for nearly two hours.
It was absolutely money well spent.
The less than perfect of the Christmas Day does not black out the good that preceded it. So hard for me to remember sometimes. I think it is why the stories of the beginning of Jesus’ life and the end take place over time. Mary traveled. Jesus was born. The shepherds and the wise men came.
Jesus was betrayed. He was beaten. He was put on trial. He was crucified. He was buried. He rose again. He stayed for a while. He rose into the clouds.
To get the whole meaning–to let it sink into my soul in a life changing way–I must accept the time of it. My Christmas season was blessed. I served the needy with friends, I worshipped with my family, I laughed. Even though my Christmas Day was testier than I wanted, it is a mistake to focus on just that.
And so I remember that although I don’t write as often as I wish I did, I will continue on. Brighten A Corner requires I get better as a writer. The messages on my heart prod me as well. And I will remember that although the day of Christmas had great moments and weak moments, the season was Jesus-focused and filled with laughing with friends and family alike.
Because life, like holidays, are seasonal in nature…
Thank you, Robin. Like you I didn’t write as much as I wanted or thought I should. But we both wrote. And we both shared. And you, my friend, touched my heart throughout the year. This Christmas season has been (and continues to be) quiet and people focused. Having friends over, visiting family. I kind of like it. I also find myself rediscovering the story of Jesus. Again, thank you for your gift of words.