Yesterday was Thanksgiving and I spent the holiday with my mum and sisters. Lots of good homemade yummies, hugs and conversation.
This year was kind of a first for me though -- Violet spent the day with her Dad and his family, while I went to my sister and brother-in-law's home. It was a rough time for me, being without my girl on such an important holiday, but the day came and went and I made it through.
(Also, we found out some heartbreaking news before dinner -- a sudden death in my bro-in-law's family. It was so devastating but thankfully, he had his wife (my beautiful, very pregnant sister!) and her family all around him.)
I came away with an important realization:
1. Holidays can be very stressful and very LONELY for people. For many reasons. I did not understand this sort of thing until now. Some people are estranged from family or sad or in a bad place. Some people are missing family that live far away or that have passed away. Some people (like me for instance) just want this time of year to pass so that the stress, financial burden and family issues will be safely behind them. The sadness or loneliness is only made worse with the constant media hype and inflated expectations. It can be such a difficult time, thank goodness for the happy parts that sneak in too (like seeing all my sisters together or watching my mom take over in the kitchen)...
To me, all of this means that *LIFE IS TOO SHORT* to be angry or unforgiving or mean. It feels like a duty to actually pay attention, reach out, to be there for the ones you care about. Especially to family. Not everyone has a wonderful time, the holiday spirit is out of reach to some folks.
I guess to be thankful for any ounce of love and compassion I receive is my goal this year. I will definitely return it in any way that I can.
This year was kind of a first for me though -- Violet spent the day with her Dad and his family, while I went to my sister and brother-in-law's home. It was a rough time for me, being without my girl on such an important holiday, but the day came and went and I made it through.
(Also, we found out some heartbreaking news before dinner -- a sudden death in my bro-in-law's family. It was so devastating but thankfully, he had his wife (my beautiful, very pregnant sister!) and her family all around him.)
I came away with an important realization:
1. Holidays can be very stressful and very LONELY for people. For many reasons. I did not understand this sort of thing until now. Some people are estranged from family or sad or in a bad place. Some people are missing family that live far away or that have passed away. Some people (like me for instance) just want this time of year to pass so that the stress, financial burden and family issues will be safely behind them. The sadness or loneliness is only made worse with the constant media hype and inflated expectations. It can be such a difficult time, thank goodness for the happy parts that sneak in too (like seeing all my sisters together or watching my mom take over in the kitchen)...
To me, all of this means that *LIFE IS TOO SHORT* to be angry or unforgiving or mean. It feels like a duty to actually pay attention, reach out, to be there for the ones you care about. Especially to family. Not everyone has a wonderful time, the holiday spirit is out of reach to some folks.
I guess to be thankful for any ounce of love and compassion I receive is my goal this year. I will definitely return it in any way that I can.
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