Remember when we were young and how you thought of Christmas? Just thinking about it in September when school would start, imagining all of the things to come in the fall. We had Halloween to keep us occupied, distracted by the costumes and mountains of candy. Followed shortly by Thanksgiving and all of that turkey. But when Thanksgiving ended, and if you were lucky the first snowfall came, our minds turned to Christmas. For me, it was going to my Grandma's house in the Tri-Cities. There were always at least 15 people there around the table - the adults making us kids wait until AFTER dinner to open presents. We usually had our tradition on Christmas Eve - with an early dinner in the mid afternoon. My grandma would plan every detail with balanced perfection ensuring each dish was ready at the exact moment the clock struck 3. If dinner was at 3, it was AT 3. Not 2:45 not 3:15. 3. We would all sit around taking turns tearing the shiny wrapping off our gifts - the coolest part being that it went from youngest to oldest and I was the youngest one of the bunch. It would take at least 3 hours to get through all of the presents and was followed up by each adult opening a box of chocolate covered cherries - my grandmothers tradition. She would make popcorn balls and homemade fudge; at least 3 different types of desserts. If we felt like it, we would stay in and play with our newly found treasures and the adults would visit and have coffee and hot toddy's. Sometimes, we went to the movies where my grandma would bring some of the popcorn balls and fudge and hand them out to the employees who had to unfortunately work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Christmas Day.
Do you recall the feeling? The one where you lay there all night, trying so hard to sleep so that morning will finally come?? You finally find the will to close your eyes and drift off to strange dreams... it only seems to last a moment and then you wake up!! Sit up in bed! It's 6am!! You can't throw back the covers fast enough. You are running down the stairs (down the hall, up the stairs) - you skid around the corner and there it is. The angels sing their hallelujah chorus and you see it then. The tree, the presents, the toys. Your eyes flit to the half eaten plate of cookies you left for Santa the night before. Oh my goodness..He was here. You can hardly contain yourself. I know I couldn't. I couldn't WAIT to see what was in my stocking. I couldn't wait to tear the paper off the presents and discover what was waiting inside.
I was thinking about all of this yesterday. I have to admit, I was feeling really forlorn. I so miss going to my grandmas, seeing all the presents, going to the movies, running down the hall Christmas morning... more than all that, I just miss the feeling. Anxious, excited and this oh so deep feeling of joy... it was overwhelming and comforting at the same time. I thought about how I would spend every holiday with my cousin Kari - and we would sit together every Christmas - and how it's been more than 2 years since I've actually seen her. (We talk all the time of course, but it's not the same) I realized that now it's my job. It's my responsibility to create this same feeling for my kids. That my mom's house is now the grandmas house and the family members are my sister in laws and brother in laws.. and WE were the ones sitting around drinking coffee and hot toddy's (sorta..haha) while the kids played with their new treasures. It's kind of hard to be a grown up isn't it? I still wish in some small way that Christmas was the same as it was. I know now that it can't be the same... but it can still be good and it can be the best for my kids.
That's worth it to me. I want them to grow up and feel the same nostalgia that I do when I reminisce on Christmas Past. And I think that Kari and I should still sit together every Christmas and holiday that we can... there is no reason that we can't, right!? We just have to be the ones to start and make the traditions. Both of my grandmas were amazing women. The grandma that Kari and I share surely instilled some of her traditions in both of us. Now it's up to us to make it happen. Heck, I'm actually attempting to cook, so I know she's proud of me for that!!! (and Grandma, I didn't even make anyone sick!!!)
I know now that Christmas is about so much more than gifts... it's about family. It's about Jesus' birth. It's about traditions and giving. It's so many things all wrapped into one special, joyous, elation. And whatever your traditions may be, we can all agree on the "feeling" of Christmas I'm sure.
Wishing everyone out there a very Merry Christmas. I hope you will find that little bit of Christmas feeling under the tree this year.
Much love~
T♥
This is my personal journal of thoughts, intuitions and discernment. A committee of sorts that is the very core of me. This is a VIP tour inside my brain. Enter at your own risk. My name is Tera. I'm in my 30's, a mom of two, I have a life and things I'm accountable for... but I'm still just a girl in spirit. I might be just like you...Welcome to T and the Committee.
12.25.2010
12.14.2010
Take your time...
How many of us put off things until "tomorrow"... Me, I am the ultimate procrastinator on one hand...and other times, I have to get it done NOW. This happens spontaneously, and those around me, including myself are never quite prepared for the personality that surfaces! I've often wondered if I have two or more different personalities. I've learned in the last couple of years that it really isn't my personality, it's my ability to pick up other people's characteristics just by being near them. This happens with moods also. If I'm not taking special care to pay attention, I will wind up in a mood that was not mine to begin with. I can watch a movie where people are speaking in southern accents and halfway through you would be convinced I was born in Louisiana as I start to speak in my best southern drawl. Why? Because it's fun and moreover, because I absorb everything. This can be so confusing. And it is sure to cause my loved ones to stop and wonder exactly where T went and if she's coming back any time soon.
For example - we have been remodeling our house. New carpet, windows, etc. Oh! How exciting you say!!! No. This means that things will be chaotic and messy (for those of you contemplating the idea). I was going along fine, so excited about my new carpet and windows - enjoying the thought of a new look to come home to and relax in. I don't know what happened. Perhaps, it was the moment I actually looked around and realized that my once clean house was a MESS. M-E-S-S. That is all I could see. My eyes darted around like a crazed animal at all of the piles of this and that on every piece of flat-topped furniture. I swear they looked back at me like "it's not our fault, YOU put us here!!" I don't know what came over me, but needless to say I kind of freaked out. It all seemed so overwhelming and impossible. I thought of all the things I have to do in a day and there was surely no time left to return these odds and ends to their rightful residencies.
Another prime example of my madness, would be when someone else loads the dishwasher. You would think (as stated above) as busy as I am (yes but not really) and how there is not enough time in the day (there is but I can't find it) to get everything accomplished that I would be grateful someone else chipped in to help. For some reason, I had to look inside the dishwasher. You see, there were still dishes in the sink, and the brave soul who did load it, informed me that there was no room left in the dishwasher and those dishes would not fit. As soon as peered inside I turned into an officer of the dishwasher loading police and analyzed the lack of proper use of space. It was clear that no math had been done to calculate how to align the glasses on the top rack and equate the area on the bottom rack to fit each pot, pan and plate efficiently. You are asking yourself, what happened next? Well of course I reloaded it! I mean, who could live with themselves not utilizing the dishwasher at its top performance?
And I wonder why I have no time left in my day... I am certain the reason I am unable to find this extra time is because I have used it to appease my alter ego's inability to relax and let things be.
How often do we put off spending time with a friend or placing a phone call to someone, because we simply cannot afford the time? Or you are watching a TV show and your kids come in to talk and you shhh them because you are tired and can't muster the energy to listen. Your family member asks you to lunch and you don't go, because you; haven't washed your hair, have too much laundry, house is a mess, have to make dinner... etc.
We must take our time. We never know when the last opportunity to do something presents itself. Those who have lost a child will tell you to soak in every minute of it; they would give anything to be able to rewind. Those who have lost siblings or parents will tell you to jump up and go to that lunch date - don't miss the chance to be with someone you love.
Do you think life lasts forever? Are you putting off making that phone call to tell someone you love them, because, ah well, you will do it tomorrow? Don't wait. Do it now. Make it count. Make an impression. Don't freak out about a mess that is easily cleaned up. Don't reload the dishwasher to optimize space - use the time you would have spent reloading it to do something worthwhile.
I hereby swear to take my own advice. I will stumble in my quest. But I promise to try. Do you?
Savor your life. Don't like the taste? Season it with something else. Add a few fresh ingredients and don't forget to breathe. Take your time. Enjoy.
♥T
For example - we have been remodeling our house. New carpet, windows, etc. Oh! How exciting you say!!! No. This means that things will be chaotic and messy (for those of you contemplating the idea). I was going along fine, so excited about my new carpet and windows - enjoying the thought of a new look to come home to and relax in. I don't know what happened. Perhaps, it was the moment I actually looked around and realized that my once clean house was a MESS. M-E-S-S. That is all I could see. My eyes darted around like a crazed animal at all of the piles of this and that on every piece of flat-topped furniture. I swear they looked back at me like "it's not our fault, YOU put us here!!" I don't know what came over me, but needless to say I kind of freaked out. It all seemed so overwhelming and impossible. I thought of all the things I have to do in a day and there was surely no time left to return these odds and ends to their rightful residencies.
Another prime example of my madness, would be when someone else loads the dishwasher. You would think (as stated above) as busy as I am (yes but not really) and how there is not enough time in the day (there is but I can't find it) to get everything accomplished that I would be grateful someone else chipped in to help. For some reason, I had to look inside the dishwasher. You see, there were still dishes in the sink, and the brave soul who did load it, informed me that there was no room left in the dishwasher and those dishes would not fit. As soon as peered inside I turned into an officer of the dishwasher loading police and analyzed the lack of proper use of space. It was clear that no math had been done to calculate how to align the glasses on the top rack and equate the area on the bottom rack to fit each pot, pan and plate efficiently. You are asking yourself, what happened next? Well of course I reloaded it! I mean, who could live with themselves not utilizing the dishwasher at its top performance?
And I wonder why I have no time left in my day... I am certain the reason I am unable to find this extra time is because I have used it to appease my alter ego's inability to relax and let things be.
How often do we put off spending time with a friend or placing a phone call to someone, because we simply cannot afford the time? Or you are watching a TV show and your kids come in to talk and you shhh them because you are tired and can't muster the energy to listen. Your family member asks you to lunch and you don't go, because you; haven't washed your hair, have too much laundry, house is a mess, have to make dinner... etc.
We must take our time. We never know when the last opportunity to do something presents itself. Those who have lost a child will tell you to soak in every minute of it; they would give anything to be able to rewind. Those who have lost siblings or parents will tell you to jump up and go to that lunch date - don't miss the chance to be with someone you love.
Do you think life lasts forever? Are you putting off making that phone call to tell someone you love them, because, ah well, you will do it tomorrow? Don't wait. Do it now. Make it count. Make an impression. Don't freak out about a mess that is easily cleaned up. Don't reload the dishwasher to optimize space - use the time you would have spent reloading it to do something worthwhile.
I hereby swear to take my own advice. I will stumble in my quest. But I promise to try. Do you?
Savor your life. Don't like the taste? Season it with something else. Add a few fresh ingredients and don't forget to breathe. Take your time. Enjoy.
♥T
12.01.2010
Black Friday, indeed
Seriously, who invented Black Friday? I know there are some of you out there that marvel at the idea of waking up at the crack of dawn and venturing out to the various retail outlets to find the best deal and the perfect gift. Sounds fun to some people; and to each his own...I'm fine with the novelty and the opportunity to spend time with your good friends or family, maybe getting a bite to eat together on the way home.. sounds like the holidays to me and a really fun tradition for many.
Let's flash forward to the outrageous news reels all over television showing people trampling each other to get through the door. The man screaming for help as each person passed him by, their eyes only on the coveted door buster prize. Or how about the footage of some customers at a well known store seething at the foot of a pile of 9 dollar crock pots like a bunch of hungry wolves? The workers clinging to each other, fearing this may be their last day alive. Maybe the woman who has a meltdown at the checkout line because she's so selfishly tried to cut in front of everyone else and is told she needs to go to the back of the line to wait, and she freaks out so badly, I was sure it was an episode of COPS.
But it wasn't COPS. This was the spirit of the holiday season. (As seen on TV) Makes my stomach churn at the thought of people so desperate, so lifeless. Makes my skin crawl the way the media portrays the mayhem and we all watch eyes glued to the screens in our living rooms, unable to look away. Some spirit.
I dread this dark day every year. Ironic in itself that it's the day after we all are supposed to give thanks (I'm so thankful, now move aside jerk, I want that freakin' TV and the 9$ crock pot!!) That is hilarious. Sad. I think it's tragic that this is what occurs because of a few material items on sale. Sure, I love a good bargain. But I'm not going to step on the face of my neighbor for it!
Have all of these people forgotten what this time of year is really about? Have they forgotten that the reason we give presents to each other, is because we are in symbolic celebration of Jesus' birth? Christmas is about love and celebration. Family and friends. Giving, not receiving. Just like He gives to us everyday. Has anyone taken a moment to look around at all of the blessings we have received? The warm beds we sleep in. The food on our table. Our children. Our family. The glorious way the sun rises in the East in the morning and the breathtaking sight it leaves on us in the West every night?
Like I said before, it's wonderful to spend this day the way it was really intended. Shopping the deals, trying to find something really special for those we love, checking out the holiday decorations, those oh so amazing lights and reeling in the holidays.
But to those who have forgotten what Christmas is all about... Take a moment and do something kind for someone else. Count all the beautiful blessings He has given you. And most all all remember. Remember what this time of year is all about. I can guarantee you that He- for whom this Season is all about- has not, even for a second, forgotten you.
Happy Birthday, Jesus
May He continue to bless each and every one of you
Much love~
T♥
Let's flash forward to the outrageous news reels all over television showing people trampling each other to get through the door. The man screaming for help as each person passed him by, their eyes only on the coveted door buster prize. Or how about the footage of some customers at a well known store seething at the foot of a pile of 9 dollar crock pots like a bunch of hungry wolves? The workers clinging to each other, fearing this may be their last day alive. Maybe the woman who has a meltdown at the checkout line because she's so selfishly tried to cut in front of everyone else and is told she needs to go to the back of the line to wait, and she freaks out so badly, I was sure it was an episode of COPS.
But it wasn't COPS. This was the spirit of the holiday season. (As seen on TV) Makes my stomach churn at the thought of people so desperate, so lifeless. Makes my skin crawl the way the media portrays the mayhem and we all watch eyes glued to the screens in our living rooms, unable to look away. Some spirit.
I dread this dark day every year. Ironic in itself that it's the day after we all are supposed to give thanks (I'm so thankful, now move aside jerk, I want that freakin' TV and the 9$ crock pot!!) That is hilarious. Sad. I think it's tragic that this is what occurs because of a few material items on sale. Sure, I love a good bargain. But I'm not going to step on the face of my neighbor for it!
Have all of these people forgotten what this time of year is really about? Have they forgotten that the reason we give presents to each other, is because we are in symbolic celebration of Jesus' birth? Christmas is about love and celebration. Family and friends. Giving, not receiving. Just like He gives to us everyday. Has anyone taken a moment to look around at all of the blessings we have received? The warm beds we sleep in. The food on our table. Our children. Our family. The glorious way the sun rises in the East in the morning and the breathtaking sight it leaves on us in the West every night?
Like I said before, it's wonderful to spend this day the way it was really intended. Shopping the deals, trying to find something really special for those we love, checking out the holiday decorations, those oh so amazing lights and reeling in the holidays.
But to those who have forgotten what Christmas is all about... Take a moment and do something kind for someone else. Count all the beautiful blessings He has given you. And most all all remember. Remember what this time of year is all about. I can guarantee you that He- for whom this Season is all about- has not, even for a second, forgotten you.
Happy Birthday, Jesus
May He continue to bless each and every one of you
Much love~
T♥
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