Friday, December 21, 2011
Today's Gift
Every Christmas I hope for the best but expect the worst.
--Adult child group member
As bells ring out and
carols echo everywhere, we should not be surprised if our spirits take a
nosedive. It isn't that we don't understand the meaning of Christmas, or that we
reject it, but rather that the idealized version of what Christmas should be has
often times been denied us. We may come to resent the fact that all this good
cheer seems to be for other people, not us.
Our experiences may
have had little to do with family togetherness around a glowing fireplace,
loving conversation, and delighted laughter. Such scenes feel like an affront if
there has been no family closeness, perhaps no gifts, and little or no overt
love. Of course it's wrenching when our own experience clashes so painfully with
advertised reality!
But every day is a
chance for new experience. We can choose today to create the good cheer that
wasn't created for us. It's too late to change yesterday's disappointment, but,
if we choose, we can make this holiday season the one we'll
remember.
I have made a
conscious decision to leave past Christmases in the past. Today, I will begin to
plan a celebration.
From the book Days of Healing, Days
of Joy by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty
Read more Daily Motivations at http://thework-in.blogspot.com
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