Last night I was really frustrated because my Christmas shopping hasn't
gone all that well this year. I want so much to find that perfect gift
for each person in my life so that it shows how much I care about them. I
was still stressing out today because I didn't know when I was going to get time to
actually finish and ship the gifts to certain places. Then when I came home today to find my Christmas tree laying on the floor, I stopped and started to get that sinking feeling that one can only understand if they've gone through the same experience...I was devastated.
For two years now my cat, Poh, has done a very good job of not messing with my Christmas tree, which for a mischievous cat, is pretty impressive. Before I checked over any of the damage, my first concern was making sure he was ok and that there was no glass from the broken ornaments in his paws. Once I checked him over and saw that there was no harm done, I then took inventory of the damage. I was sadden at the loss of two of my favorite ornaments. One being of our family dog that passed away a few years ago and the other of a really pretty flower.
Sighing, I started to clean up. All the while Poh "innocently" watched me pick up the pieces and put the Christmas tree back together again... Growing up I would like to help my mom dust the house and countless times I would accidentally break something that was special to her. Each time I feared for my life when I had to tell her what happened...but each time, her reaction was the same. She would always tell me that I was more important to her than (enter broken item here). After she would tell me that I would feel so loved and amazed that she wasn't going to ground me for life! But my mom knew that life is messy and things break. My Christmas tree falling over (I wonder if it made a sound) made me realize that it's our reaction to those messy breaks (or break ups) that matter most. And my mom was a great example on how to handle those situations. I could have freaked out over the tree and just left it laying there, broken glass and all, but instead I picked it up and cleaned up the mess and started over again. It was hard. It was sad. But that's life.
Christmas is less than 2 weeks away (don't panic!) and yes, I lost two special ornaments that I'll never get back, but this event stopped me from stressing over the little things that I had yet to do and pressed me to find my Christmas spirit again. It's our actions that show the Christmas spirit not our gifts. So I challenge you to be proactive in your actions this Christmas season and reach out and take a moment or two out of the Christmas hustle and bustle and try to find a creative way to show your loved ones how much you care.
-A
For two years now my cat, Poh, has done a very good job of not messing with my Christmas tree, which for a mischievous cat, is pretty impressive. Before I checked over any of the damage, my first concern was making sure he was ok and that there was no glass from the broken ornaments in his paws. Once I checked him over and saw that there was no harm done, I then took inventory of the damage. I was sadden at the loss of two of my favorite ornaments. One being of our family dog that passed away a few years ago and the other of a really pretty flower.
Sighing, I started to clean up. All the while Poh "innocently" watched me pick up the pieces and put the Christmas tree back together again... Growing up I would like to help my mom dust the house and countless times I would accidentally break something that was special to her. Each time I feared for my life when I had to tell her what happened...but each time, her reaction was the same. She would always tell me that I was more important to her than (enter broken item here). After she would tell me that I would feel so loved and amazed that she wasn't going to ground me for life! But my mom knew that life is messy and things break. My Christmas tree falling over (I wonder if it made a sound) made me realize that it's our reaction to those messy breaks (or break ups) that matter most. And my mom was a great example on how to handle those situations. I could have freaked out over the tree and just left it laying there, broken glass and all, but instead I picked it up and cleaned up the mess and started over again. It was hard. It was sad. But that's life.
Christmas is less than 2 weeks away (don't panic!) and yes, I lost two special ornaments that I'll never get back, but this event stopped me from stressing over the little things that I had yet to do and pressed me to find my Christmas spirit again. It's our actions that show the Christmas spirit not our gifts. So I challenge you to be proactive in your actions this Christmas season and reach out and take a moment or two out of the Christmas hustle and bustle and try to find a creative way to show your loved ones how much you care.
-A
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