Just…. breathe

The illusion that everyone has a long list of thankfuls just waiting to be shared disappeared a long time ago.

If your heart squeezes when the calendar marches deeper into November I want you to hear loud and clear that you are not alone.

And, you’re not a scrooge just because you might admit that the holidays are tough. I believe there are countless people in your shoes, and, more importantly, I believe that God understands your conflicted emotion. He recognizes (and cares!) about the fact that you:

• Miss your loved one(s). He wants to catch your tears and meet you in the loneliness and confusion of experiencing holidays without them.

• Worry about your financial state and wonder how in the world you’ll be able to pay for Christmas.

• Lose sleep picturing the first holiday your kids will spend somewhere else.

• Feel the weight of expectations from others and pressure from yourself. You dread letting people down (again).  [Dear one, to Him you will always be ENOUGH]

• Want to feel closer to your extended family or in-laws but can’t seem to see through the maze of complications to make it happen in time for Thanksgiving.

• Don’t like shopping or crowds. You want to be in a good mood, but the busyness and craziness have a way of bringing you down.

• Anticipate the stress of a ‘too full’ calendar or sadness over a ‘too empty’ calendar.

Please don’t dismiss these emotions. Beloved, our Good Dad wants to meet you in the center of them.

Allow honesty in your relationship with yourself and with God – He can handle it!

Oh how I wish we could hold hand through November and December to the fresh breeze of new beginnings that is January.

Since I can’t hold your hand, I want to share a few things that have been helpful for people. As you read this list please remember:

1) Everyone one is different – consider only things that might work for YOU.

2) Try one, try several, or try something else. But, by all means, do not add more pressure to yourself!!

Just pick one that feels doable for today.

Okay, here we go…

• Grief requires more time and energy than feels natural or permissible. Practice permission.

• Whose voice do you have on repeat? Is it truth? Is it kind? If not, consider ways to offset it.

• Thankfulness is a discipline. Train your heart to focus on even the smallest, honest point of gratitude. Then, watch the miraculous as that tiny point grows into something significant.

• Look at your calendar and say: “You have no power over me.” I’m serious. Repeat it until you believe it. And then use your developing voice to make choices about your calendar.

• You do not have to do things the same way you did them last year. It is OK to make adjustments.

• Are your media choices (social or otherwise) negatively impacting your heart? If so, consider modifications for the season?

• If there’s a 99% chance that you’ll leave a particular gathering feeling tense and irritable, then consider what you can plan around it to decompress.

• How do you best connect with God? Are you making time for that?

If you’re not sure how to begin to change, or if the change you know you need to make feels like too much please do yourself a favor –

close your eyes for a moment and just breathe

It’s truly a God-gift how something as simple as a deep breath can calm our nerves.

Breathe, my friend. Just…. breathe.

Laura