As a little girl Christmas was so magical. Something that you looked forward to all year. For me that meant spending the night with my cousins at Nanny & Papaws house. Waking up in the morning to stockings and cinneman rolls, eating brunch, opening the perfectly wrapped presents, candlelight Christmas Eve service, candlestick lane and then another anticipated night of sleep to even more presents.
As you get older and life happens Christmas changes. Stress, hardships, busyness and exhaustion get in the way.
Christmas may become a time when everyone finally decides to get together. So you spend days in the car traveling back and forth just to try and enjoy a few jammed packed days with loved ones.
Christmas may be the newly single mom or dad of three kids working their butt off to save enough money to buy their kids a few essential items such as jeans and shoes just so they have fitting attire that they can wear to school in the new year.
Christmas may be the elderly couple who's kids are all grown and to far away to come visit them this year. However they prepare like they always do, trees, lights and goodies in hopes to recreate what once was.
Christmas may be the mom and dad that just had to bury their one year old baby due to a brain injury. While there other young kids not understanding that their brother is gone asks over and over where they are breaking their heart into a millions pieces again.
Christmas may be the couple who have just had another round of IVF fail and every day when they go to their mail box they open yet another Christmas card filled with new baby after new baby.
Christmas may be month 7 of a 9 month deployment. Wishing with all your might you could just give your loved ones one hug and a I love you in person.
Christmas may be the agonizing days all alone when you wish you could be at work. You fill your life with work and solitude because you are so stubborn to let anyone in due to the hurt and baggage you never dealt with.
Christmas may be the husband so worried over his wife's mental health he is doing everything possible to keep her alive through the holidays.
In a season where tv, social media and society says it is the most wonderful time of the year it can sometimes feel like the exact opposite. To all those who are hurting this season and even to those who are not but more focused on the gifts they bought or will receive. Remember to stop, take a deep breath, we have all been there is some sort of fashion and remember the truth.
Christmas is the result of a very young girl who traveled 9 months pregnant to endure non medicated labor in a barn filed with manure. Christmas is the birth of the one who died for all our sins so that we can one day not feel the pain of this world. Christmas is the most beautiful symbol of hope we can ever celebrate. And as corny as the saying "Jesus is the reason for the season" that sums up Christmas perfectly.
Merry Christmas!!!
