We are all urged to remember those less fortunate at this time of year, to donate time and money to charities. I want to add my own reminder at this time as well. It is easy to forget that there are people close to us who have suffered loss over this past year, or even the past several years. If you are related to or friends with anyone who has lost someone to death, or divorce remember that the holidays are a very painful time for them. Even if it has been several years, the person they are missing still takes up space during these times. A simple acknowledgement from you can go a long way to giving them comfort. Offer to listen to their memories or even to share their pain. Don’t expect them to smile and get over it! The gift of awareness and presence can never be overdone.
If you are the one that is feeling the loss, be sure to nurture yourself. Take time to acknowledge your sadness, anger, fear. Talk to someone. Write in a journal. Just get it out. The more you try to stuff down/deny your pain, the more wear and tear on you. You don’t want to be so overwhelmed by your grief/anger/fear that you miss the goodness that is around you. Once you’ve purged, put the sadness aside for a while and allow yourself to enjoy what’s going on at the moment.
I wish you much peace and joy. I sincerely hope that this is a happy time for all of you and that you are blessed in many ways this Christmas season.