A Reluctant Gift

If anything can go wrong…it will! And, at the most inconvenient time possible, especially during the holiday season when we and our To-Do list is already so overwhelmed. Catastrophe is bound to happen. Something is going to break, go awry, a roadblock to our progress, a detour or in many cases a complete halt.

So many of my female friends have reported that they have become sick, shut down and are beside themselves with worry over all the things they SHOULD be doing. It’s holiday crunch time, the home stretch for the most celebrated event of the year!

But I say…Gifts can come in many different packages and being who we are, sometimes have to be forced to recieve them. Especially as women this time of year. We so easily slip into the role of the master of ceremonies.

We tediously plot & plan. We become the decorator decking the halls, menu planner, baker, chef, event planner, cleaning service, shopper, gift wrapper, filling out greeting cards and shipping gifts on time and ultimately the maid who cleans it all up!

In the midst of creating a magical holiday experience for our friends and family, we become so focused, driven and overwhelmed that we lose sight of the reason for celebration, the joy and become the performers of celebration instead of experiencing it ourselves. We become apart from it instead of a part of it.

If this is you… maybe, just maybe, you were given a gift. A gift to slow down, give you rest, watch holiday movies to remind you of the spirit, of good cheer and to remind you that the heart of Christmas is so much more simple than all the trappings that we exhaust ourself with that so often excludes us from Joy.

Even if your hustle & bustle has gone smoothly, remember to take a moment of pause for yourself. Remind yourself of what we celebrate, how glorious a gift we’ve been given. Go see the lights, sip cocoa, watch a holiday movie, share your smile freely and experience this moment. Let peace and calm fill your spirit….reacquaint yourself with Joy. Recieve it as a gift and share it all around.

Happy Holidays, Dear Friends! Always With Love – Laura💕