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Christmas Past: Learning from People Who’ve Been There
Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you purchase something using the link. Read the full disclaimer policy here. Christmas is an absolutely magical time of year. The sights, sounds, tastes, and smells all delight the senses. Everyone wants their holiday to be merry, bright and filled with wonder. Sometimes that’s easier said than done and all the good intentions start to feel like a burden. Trying to make everything perfect gets overwhelming and stressful. That’s when it’s great to talk to someone who’s been around…
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Day 13. Grateful for Your Family in All Their Beautiful Imperfection
Nothing can compare to the relationships we share with family. For some, family life means happy chaos, warmth and affection, and the freedom to be yourself. For others, family life presents some serious challenges to overcome. Most people’s families fall somewhere in the middle – love and support at some times, friction and misunderstanding at others. Having a family of imperfect people is perfectly normal and healthy! Families Are Complex The thing about families is this. There are always positive takeaways, even in the most complex relationships. In your family, are things always what they seem to be? Sometimes not. For example, in a family where the children were lavished…
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Day 12. Appreciating the Wisdom of Our Elders
What do you think of “old people” – seniors? Are you a senior yourself? How are you managing to keep pace with the information age? Do you find that young people tend to want to hurry you along from one activity to the next? Is it difficult for you to find a willing audience to listen to your tales and heed your good advice? In some cultures, elders are held in the highest regard. Younger individuals respect and revere their grandparents and great grandparents for the wisdom they have gained through life experiences. Families are expected to house and financially support their aging parents, providing comfort, care and dignity in…
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Boundaries- The Key to a Joyful Season
There you are, minding your holiday business when someone’s dysfunction crashes into your spirit. There’s a lot of Grinches and Scrooges out there and they have the potential to rub off on you if you can’t set healthy boundaries. There are a lot of reasons why people aren’t at their best during the holidays, but their bad mood doesn’t have to affect you when you are ready, willing, and able to set boundaries and protect yourself from their negativity. Here are the steps you need to set healthy boundaries for a joyful season Step 1. Be aware Some people are going to be negative. Be aware. Be on the alert…
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Day 11. To Be Positive and Present, Take Your Cue from a Child
To have an attitude of gratitude, and to attract more blessings into your daily life, you must focus on being present and in the moment. This is not easy for adults. Adults, women in particular, seem to be stuck in an endless planning and execution mode. This means we’re constantly thinking about what we did, and what we have to do. We have checklists to fulfill. That’s forward-thinking, or looking into the future. We also have comparisons to make and experiences to draw from. “When I did X, Y happened. So if I want Y to happen again, I’d better do X.” As you can see, we’ve trained our minds…
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Day 10. Celebrating the “Moments Between the Moments”
On day 10 of the “30 Days Blessed This Christmas” Challenge, we’ll focus on the moments between the moments. This means that even though the tendency is to fill up our schedules with big events and fantastic experiences… those “moments between the moments” are what really make life worth living. The moments between the moments have to do with communing and connecting with other human beings. Perhaps animals, too. The moments between the moments might be something of an extra surprise bonus experience that unfolded organically without “trying to make something happen”. Maybe you brought your kids to an amusement park, and a nice person who worked there took the…
