a little reminder...

a lovely woman, and dear family friend sent out something in their Christmas cards that I think is worth passing along...

It seems that everyone is busy and everyone likes to feel even busier by talking about it...we want to encourage you this christmas to step out of the traffic and take a deep breath. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for those you love, the blessings you have received, and the hope that Jesus brings in this christmas season. drink a cup of hot tea in front of the Christmas tree; listen to a Christmas carol all the way through; read the wonder of the Savior's birth in Luke 2; call an old friend; watch the fire burn in the fireplace; be quiet, be still.
The real miracle of Christmas is that God Himself came to be among us. Take a moment to consider what difference that really makes in your life...let the busy take care of itself; it will still be there tomorrow.

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie...

now, this whole concept of being still is something that i need to work on. but, i definately think that a real reminder to savor the season and celebrate in the real miracle of Christmas is the simplest thing i can do today.

i hope you get time to do the same...enjoy the season!

yesterday morning i took jackson out for our normal tuesday routine which includes speech therapy at 9am. in the waiting room, i was chatting with a gal who i see every week but never talk to. anyway, her adorable daughter comes up to me, grabs onto my knees and just stares up with the biggest smile you have ever seen. to which, i reply "hey there cutie". her mom apologizes, which i nod off and we start talking. she asks how old jackson is (2 1/2) and if i have any other kids (liam, of course), and if i work (tell her i am in grad school). she then says, in sincerity, "wow, you really have your hands full".

this leads me to my point. this mom, in her late thirties probably, notes how busy life must be for me.

i have to say, i was a little taken back because (did i forget to mention) that her 3 and 4 year old daughters both have down syndrome? i felt like an idiot.

big idiot.

she had no way of knowing that i have been feeling a little sorry for myself lately in dealing with jackson, school and stress in general. and the rest of our conversation centered about all sorts of funny stories about the kids, new therapies/diets, and just normal life stuff. it was great. she had no way of knowing that her small comment would really effect me.

see, sometimes we play the comparison game in life (my truck is better than yours, her boobs are perkier than mine, etc.) you might think that someones situation seems impossible to you. and to keep things in perspective we say "it could always be worse". and that is all true. however, life is hard sometimes and no matter what your life is like, give yourself time to feel bad and then move on.

this is especially true for parenting. nothing irks me more than when parents try to play the comparison game with their children to "one up " the other. parenting is hard work (duh). have a little respect and know that a tired and stressed out parent is sometimes a good parent because they are putting every last bit of effort into their kids.

............lost my focus here, sorry..............

the moral of the story is, that somedays are better than others and no matter what anyone says...give yourself a chance to feel your life and then move on if you are heading down a debbie-downer path.

does that make sense?

awesome. now turn that frown upside down, and go have a shot of whisky. (kidding)