Skip to main content

A long overdue "happy" holiday season

  My family has never been too big on holidays. Sure, we would go here or go there. We would usually be traveling to a family member's house for a meal and fellowship, but it was still not something that ever gave me warm and fuzzies. The most warm and fuzzies I ever got was sitting around the Christmas tree with my mom, my dad, and my brother opening gifts.
  There was always one common thread: us 4. 5 years ago, that changed drastically. Since then, holidays have meant very little. So much that last year I spent Christmas at home by myself. I was fine. Little did I know that I would be cheated on ending up spending it in tears. The past is in the past. What I mean is this: Golden Coral has been a Thanksgiving or Christmas norm for me and my family for awhile. 
  I haven't looked forward to the holiday season in what seems like forever. This year...this year is different. For the first time, in such a long time, I am happy about the up coming season. I am eager even to spend my holidays with the man I love. And I couldn't be more thankful. 
  Tomorrow kicks off the beginning of our season. And we should give thanks to those that aren't just in our life but those that give us life. 
  Mom and dad. It's us. It will always be us. No matter where or how our why...it is us. I love you both so much. And I am so blessed because of you both. Thank you. 
  White boy. I was so confused on how I could convince you to leave. I was so unsure of how we could even make it for a few days. You proved me so wrong in my thinking that we were not worth the time. You have become my rock. You have silently slid into the slot of my best friend. You have given me a reason to smile this holiday season. I love you, bee. And I am so blessed because of you. Thank you. 
  My family. You quirky, loveable weirdos. I wouldn't change you for the world. You keep my world fun. I love you all. And I am so blessed because of all of you. Thank you. 
  My friends. You have all kept me personally honest with myself and the world. You challenge me to believe in something bigger. You accept me for who I am in spite of knowing I am going to make mistakes. And I am blessed because of all of you. Thank you. 
  My heavenly Father. You formed me. You gave me everything I have, and loved me first. You gave me my brother and are keeping him in safe keeping till we meet again. And I am so blessed. Thank you. 

Happy Thanksgiving. I pray your holiday season is filled with light and love. Be blessed, friends as I am blessed. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tiger must stay in your backpack...

   I'm not that parent. The one who gloats too much, and shows off all the pictures. The parent who relays every detail of their kid to let others know how incredible I think they are. Perhaps it is a flaw. Who knows. And I also pride myself in not being a helicopter parent. I teach and let go. I discipline and let go.    And I thought I would be ready for this: first day of Pre-K. I have been very positive and uplifting and have wanted my son to be extra ready to go to school. We have talked about it for months! I am ready... Or so I thought.  This morning, as white boy was leaving to take them to daycare, he said to Owen, "You can't take Tiger to school tomorrow or he will have to stay in your backpack, so do you want to take him to daycare today?" I thought little of it, but as Owen threw him down on the ground and turned to head out the door, my throat hitched. "Are you sure you don't want to take him today?" He said no. It was a sense of finality.  ...

60 years ago is not the 1940s

  When you are born, you are lucky to get one day a year to celebrate just you. Well, you and all the others born on that day. When you become a mother or father, you get another day for just you. Sometimes those days come when you are not ready, and some come when you wish they wouldn't.   Today, 60 years ago, my mother was born. A date that means littler to most people I know than to her or me. As we age, and my mother is no different, our birthdays become just another cycle of the rising of the sun and a following of the moon. Nothing to make a big to do of.   My mother enjoys subtly. She can be dramatic but embraces the subtle acknowledgement of herself. She has ALWAYS placed herself second and counted the accolades of her children as if they were her own. That was one thing my mother NEVER lacked: humility. Which made me often sad she didn't get more than 2 days a year commemorating her.   Mom, I know I've come short. I know that I have openly and often faile...

The Sacred Requiem

  He handed me the hymnal and asked me if I was ready...if I could do this. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing. I had never planned a funeral, and even if I had imagined planning one it sure wasn't this early in life and it sure wasn't for my only brother, my only sibling. At 25, I felt like a little child getting left behind in a sea of strangers. I was terrified.   2 days prior, my heart stopped beating. 2 short days before this, my peaceful world collided with the dark. And now I had to prepare for the world to say goodbye to greatness. The tree fell in the woods and the world shook with its sudden end. And we, as the collective, needed to imagine that very tree as the beautiful piece of woodwork it now was and bow to it's new exulted shape.   I wasn't sure how to plan a requiem. But, it had been placed in my hands and I wanted to give him the best I could. He deserved it. He deserved life...to live...to breathe still and chase every dream he thought into...