Memories to last a lifetime.
I thought this assignment would be easy for me to do. God said to take each day for 25 days and remember the gifts your ancestors and friends who are no longer here gave you.
Some have been easy to write, and some I had to find the good in. I realized that some gave me more than I ever thought possible.
But family is like that; you get the good, the bad, and the ugly.
But they are FAMILY.
In our family, you could spend years not seeing each other and pick up right where you left off the minute you saw each other.
In our family, you could be spitting mad at each other one minute and then laughing and hugging the next minute.
Our family was spread over the world, so it's not like you could see them every day or even every year. We used the phone a lot to reach out and touch them, and because of it, we had better communication skills.
In our family, you knew you were loved and you mattered even though there was not a lot of telling; there was a lot of showing.
Our family has a lot of great memories as kids. This past month I keep getting flash backs of the goods times when we were kids and Christmas’s at my Grandma Grahams. I could picture it like it was yesterday: the ugly candy dish, the tray of walnuts and the crackers in the wooden bowl. The Christmas tree was decorated in the corner with ancient decorations we had had for generations. My Uncle Brian dressed as Santa when he was home, and we cousins ran around. I remember the love, I remember the innocence.
I had no worries or fears back then, and nothing weighed me down. I felt like a kid. I felt carefree. I felt perfect, whole and complete.
I just realized why God had me do this assignment. I am sitting here crying because right now, it feels like life is heavy. It feels like my shoes are filled with lead, and it's difficult to keep taking that step forward. I know I have to. I know I want to, and I know that for most of my life, I have just kept putting one foot in front of the other.
God reminded me of those Christmases this morning when I didn’t feel the pressures of life so that I could remember them daily and go back to being that little girl.
What a gift!
Thank you, God, for giving me this assignment to remember that I came from love and happy times. My family is not gone; they are in my heart. And all I have to do is remember those times to get them back.
If you are struggling this holiday season, take yourself back to your childhood and remember the good times. Remember the awe and wonder of this holiday season, and remind yourself you are not alone.
Reach out to a good friend, and have those conversations with someone you love. Create new memories.
Suppose you are looking for a good book to read or a gift for someone who has been through a lot and doesn’t know how to put that foot in front of the other. In that case, I recommend my book The Overcomer: Facing Challenges with Faith and Courage; I talk about how I overcame my life’s challenges of bullying, abuse and family trauma. I also have a second book The Overcomer Playbook were I share the how too’s of how I overcame, both can be found on Amazon.
I would love to hear about one of your favorite Christmas memories.
With love and gratitude,
Dorothy
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