Season Celebration; Coming Home in 2013

With the holidays winding down, now comes the time for reflection of what the holidays meant to me and to us all.  Several times, I could not help but reflect on how my husband and I would approach this Christmas knowing Dan, my step son would no longer be on this earth any longer to be a part, in any way, of our Christmas day, or so I thought/felt.

This holiday is the time of year when good friends become more like family.   Those

family  members we are often too busy, other times of the year, to communicate with, we find time to now.  Even if it is simply to jot off a Christmas wish, a phone call, an email, to let them know they are loved, thought of or wished well for the upcoming year. 

It is the time we say good bye to a year and hello and praise to an upcoming one.  It is a time for rejoicing in memories of the past year, reflection on what went well, and what we learned. And hopefully, a time to draw from the experience and be a better person for our future, no matter how long or short it is.

 As I drove into work on Dec. 26^th, I was thinking about how splendid it had been to be in contact with so many people that are near and dear to me this year during the holiday season.   That is, all except for one, Dan, who we lost in March.   As I pulled close to work, into a mostly deserted parking lot, out of the blue, on the radio, the song we choice for his memorial tribute blasted out of my radio,   “I Can Only Imagine.”  It could not help but remind me that he was signaling to me that he was home, and yet here with us for the holidays.   It was a nice closure to Christmas.

I then reflected further, as the year was winding down, to what the ultimate joy is in

the holiday season for so many of us. As my son once said, as he grew older, Christmas is just not as much fun once you get past the toy stage.  We all go through that period until we realize the true meaning and joy of the season.   I tried to capture some of it on the attached video. It is not just about gifts, it is not just about Santa, nor about our family of origin either. The holidays is more about a feeling, an attitude, a rejoicing in what life is suppose to be about, what we make it, what we do for one another, what we celebrate, what we create as home and who we invite into our home.  Think about it and make 2013 a year to remember. And to celebrate your home!

(Video best viewed in full screen & if you encounter trouble loading it off this site, it is loaded on you tube under above name)