The Gift of Family During the Holidays
A welcoming spirit is a most wonderful holiday gift!
This time of year is associated with families reconnecting with ones that maybe they don’t see too many times during the year. Whether it’s parent’s grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins, this time of year especially is when most are going to reconnect with the many facets of their family. For many, and I am going to assume most, this is a wonderful, joyous time. Hopefully during your celebrations you will enjoy each other and you will enjoy hearing new and old stories. And that overall you have a very pleasant experience fellowshipping together. That is my wish and hope for you.
Many are blessed with families that are safe, enjoyable, loving and encouraging.
However, I do know that there are many out there that do not have these types of families. Although their families are alive and intact, sadly they do not experience them in positive, safe and encouraging ways. The holidays do not bring up joyful, exciting feelings for these people; rather conflict and discontent. Some choose not to spend the holidays with their families because the negative out weights the positive. So I say to those of you in these situations, I hope you have safe and encouraging friends to support you during this time of year which is so focused on family.
There are those of us (and I include myself in this group) that have no family left. Our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters have passed on before us and we don’t have that family history; our anchor, to include in our present day celebrations. Unless the ones we are with today were a part of that family it is our own loss to bear and the family of today seems oblivious to the empty space.
While many of us may have a family of our own; spouse, children, spouse’s family that we may be blessed with enjoying, it is still different. Good hopefully, but different. In my opinion, unless you have experienced this kind of loss it is very difficult to understand. It is especially hard when you lose your parents and siblings early and they miss out on the new life you have built for yourself.
So during this time of glad tidings, I pray that you will always remember that there are many that don’t have the blessing of family that you may have. And that you will keep those in your prayers that either don’t have a supportive family or whose family has left this earth. If possible, extend a holiday invitation to them to join your family for the holidays. A welcoming spirit is a most wonderful holiday gift!
