A time to give…

At this time of year, many moms have a myriad of emotions that surface. We find ourselves glassy eyed with bittersweet tears. The holiday season tends to bring with it, a propensity to relive our bygone days.

As we reminisce over Christmases Past, we recall the loves that we have lost, the mistakes we have made, our choices and the consequences of those choices. The older we get, the more that we seem to recant to ourselves an evaluation of our existence. We think about our successes and our failures. We ponder many, What ifs? and we speculate about how we would have handled situations differently, with the knowledge that we have now.

We experience pain as we are reminded of the people who are no longer with us, either because of death or choice. Both joy and sadness seem to permeate our hours. This is the season for new beginnings and a rebirth for all of us. We should avoid beating ourselves up for being human and for making mistakes. We need to focus on the future.  The best way that I have found, to lift my spirits, is to focus on other people who are less fortunate than I am. It is amazing how quickly and easily spirits can be lifted by offering others part of ourselves.