The holidays.
No two words can create such fear and such frenzy.
Do you remember, as kids, we had every form of "Christmas Countdown" we could find, inching way too slowly toward that beautiful day of magical bliss.
Now days, every day closer to Christmas is one more reminder of what we haven't completed, haven't bought, haven't checked off the list. Someone reminded me, today, that there are 11 more days until THE DAY and I about passed out! It seems every other month creeps along, but December knows how badly we need it to crawl, and does the exact opposite.
Before we spin out of control, frantically grasping for any form of stability, in the remainder of this month, join me in keeping 3 words prominent and intentional.
Order. Type-A people really do get a bad rap. They are mocked for their rule-following, their obsessive behavior with scheduling, and their constant need for control. But, this month, take a little lesson from our organizational-junkie friends and make a list, for the love of all things orderly. Give yourself some structure, whether your structure looks neat and tidy, or a pile of rubbish. It's your structure. And, this month, keeping some semblance of order is going to keep you from running for the hills, this time, next year.
Change. There isn't another 4 weeks, in the year, when so much order is helpful, mixed in with a healthy dose of "scratch that list, for the millionth time, this week". Expect it. People will cancel. Kids will get sick. PTA Presidents will need your store-bought cookies by 10am and not 1pm, like they told you yesterday. When we know change will happen, we're not tempted to throat punch the next person who asks us to rearrange our beautifully written out schedule, ONE.MORE.TIME.
Peace. I may be speaking more to the mamas, out there, on this one. Not that dads can't be a strong source of calm, in our homes, but often times, so the mood of the mom, so the mood of the family. Don't hear me saying, you can't have a bad day, because, this month, you WILL have one. At least one. But, make it an intentional practice to find your own peaceful moments, for yourself. It may be wrapping those presents, while watching a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. It may be creating a holiday playlist on Spotify and singing to it, while other crazy people are losing their minds, in the school pick-up lines. Whatever it is for you, do it. Regardless of the chaos, make the healthy choice to pursue some peace.
My personal relationship with God is my constant source of all three of those words. I can't encourage you to keep them prominent, without sharing that, without my God, and intentional time with Him, especially this month, I
won't walk in order, change, and peace.
Our Pure Truth team wishes you and yours the happiest of Christmases! May you truly find joy, kindness, gratefulness, and generosity abounding, with those you love. We whole-heartedly look forward to pursuing our best, with you, as parents, in 2019.
Merry Christmas!
