I Keep This in Mind

Last night as I created one of my many "To Do" lists for the next couple weeks (Oh how I love lists) I stopped for a moment and thought to myself - here we go again. The holiday season is quickly approaching and we are about to begin the craziness of the holidays. In the next week most of us will either be traveling to visit our family and/or friends for thanksgiving, having people over for thanksgiving, or maybe doing both. We will be shopping, cleaning, baking, cooking, (packing in our case), and then moving straight to Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) to start shopping and preparing our homes for the rest of the holiday season. During this time we may get angry or upset more easily, forget to say thank you/excuse me/hello to those around us, not pay attention when on the road, not pay attention to our family/friends, and overall we tend to loose ourselves in all the commotion of the next month or so that we forget what the holidays are really all about. I obviously can't speak for anyone on what the holidays mean to each of you but to me it is about love, hope, giving, remembrance, celebration, family & friends, kindness towards others and a faith in something bigger than all of us. Of course we should try to live this all the time but it tends to be easier to forget about this stuff this time of year.

As I get older I try to let those I love know as much as possible how much I care and appreciate them but sometimes no matter how hard we try (I try) we still get caught up in the holidays and forget to tell those around us what they mean to us! I am hoping as things get crazy I can keep myself grounded and remember that it isn't about the best sales at the store, preparing a “perfect” holiday meal, football games, who has the best or most decorations, what gifts I give or receive, how big our tree is - it is about being thankful for what you have in your life and those people who make it special. It is also about remembering those who are less fortunate then ourselves or who will not be celebrating the holidays with their loved ones. Keeping these individuals in our thoughts is just as important during the holidays. I feel truly blessed in my life in SO many ways and I want to live and love everyday to its fullest and make sure that everyone in my life knows how much I love and appreciate them!