I hate the holidays!!!!
It’s that time again to celebrate with family and friends, and I find myself asking, Celebrate what?????
This is my third holiday season without Ray. During the last Christmas we shared, it was all he could do to sit in a chair while IV fluids ran into his veins. The highlight of the day was when some members of our church stood outside our window and sang Christmas carols and hymns to us. As I recall this memory and share it with you, my tears are flowing.
Perhaps you’re like me – a caregiver who spent years tending to your ill husband. In this position, you spent countless sleepless nights, experienced endless hospitalizations, and attended numerous doctor appointments, all the while constantly worrying and working to pay the mounting bills. Now that your husband has passed away, you find yourself a single mother who spends hours working and caring for your children. Of course, you didn’t have any say about these situations with which you’ve had to learn to cope. And it’s just plain hard.
When you think about the holidays, perhaps, it’s not that you hate them. Maybe, it’s just that you’re exhausted – both emotionally AND physically spent.
I’d like to make a suggestion to offer you a change in perspective and to help you through this difficult time. As the holiday season picks up steam, one of the signs you’ll often notice is that of a star, which represents a light in the darkness. Maybe, if you can embrace that light, your spirits will be lifted. I know, for me, the light represents the miracle of the holidays – the joy, the love, and the peace that can come into your life, if you will allow it to do so.
Just as the three wise men followed the star to find their miracle, so you too can find your light this holiday season.
If you’re looking for something positive upon which to grasp, here’s my suggestion: follow the star; its light just may lead you to Joy.
