Christmas and Joy
This past Sunday, my priest spoke of Joy
and Happiness. Especially around this time of the year, when love ones
gather to celebrate the holiday seasons with one another and to share
their stories with one another. Meanwhile, there are those of us who
will be celebrating the holidays without love ones.
What is the meaning of Christmas to you? Christmas to me used to bring about happy memories of waking up on Christmas morning, sliding down the stairs in my grandmother's house and looking into the living room with lots and lots of presents. Suddenly one year, that all changed. In 1993, I lost my nine month old baby sister two weeks before her first Christmas. I had just turned ten not even two months pass. It was the first death that really hit home for me. That Christmas, I will never forget how full my grandmother's living room was that year with presents. If you have ever been in the house, there were presents from wall to wall and very little space left to walk. You could almost dive into all the presents, but there wasn't happiness that Christmas. There was sorrow, sadness and hurt. In the mist of opening the presents, there was a sense of Joy, a Joy born of the sorrowfulness of that dark time. When me and my brother had finished opening all the gifts, the remaining gifts were not for either one of us, it was for our late sister who left too soon. So I opened them for her and said, "Merry Christmas, Trish. You're a little angel now." Fighting back tears, all I could do was smile and look around and see just how precious life is.
My priest said those who are down on their lucks, deaf, blind, and sick know of this particular Joy. When a blind person can once again see, it's not happiness, it's Joy that they feel. Joy that brings tears forth and a smile upon one's face. Just like a person who was completely deaf, but now can hear with the help of cochlear implants, it is Joy that they feel. Joy emerges from the depth of our darkest hours. It appears when we know and recognize how blessed we have been to be given such a wonderful gift. Joy is indeed a gift from God, a gift many can treasure.
Why not happiness? Being happy means being content in a way with your life. Being happy means everything must be going okay in one's life. But happiness is usually absent around the holiday seasons for those of us who have lost love ones over the years. It's hard to imagine a year or more without their present. It's hard to fill in the gaps in our lives where love one's once filled it up with their personalities. It's hard because it's visible enough to see someone is missing and they are truly being missed the most especially around the holidays.
So, I will end with this, treasure the ones you love and keep them near (just don't suffocate). Be good to one another, forgive one another and always let them know how you feel about them. We do not know what tomorrow holds, but we do know we are doing our best to live life in the best manner possible. I understand loss and I understand the heaviness of hearts during the holiday seasons. I understand it takes times. Just, don't let the death of a love one keep you from living. They would want you to keep it moving and I'm sure if they are looking down, they would want to see you doing great things with your life and happy. If you are down on your luck, keep your chin up, don't give up. Life wasn't meant to be smooth sailing, it was meant to challenge us. Where there is Joy, there you will find Hope. Where there is Hope, there you will find Love. Where there is Love, there you will find Peace. Be humble and grateful for what you do have and remember to count your blessings.
Peace.
What is the meaning of Christmas to you? Christmas to me used to bring about happy memories of waking up on Christmas morning, sliding down the stairs in my grandmother's house and looking into the living room with lots and lots of presents. Suddenly one year, that all changed. In 1993, I lost my nine month old baby sister two weeks before her first Christmas. I had just turned ten not even two months pass. It was the first death that really hit home for me. That Christmas, I will never forget how full my grandmother's living room was that year with presents. If you have ever been in the house, there were presents from wall to wall and very little space left to walk. You could almost dive into all the presents, but there wasn't happiness that Christmas. There was sorrow, sadness and hurt. In the mist of opening the presents, there was a sense of Joy, a Joy born of the sorrowfulness of that dark time. When me and my brother had finished opening all the gifts, the remaining gifts were not for either one of us, it was for our late sister who left too soon. So I opened them for her and said, "Merry Christmas, Trish. You're a little angel now." Fighting back tears, all I could do was smile and look around and see just how precious life is.
My priest said those who are down on their lucks, deaf, blind, and sick know of this particular Joy. When a blind person can once again see, it's not happiness, it's Joy that they feel. Joy that brings tears forth and a smile upon one's face. Just like a person who was completely deaf, but now can hear with the help of cochlear implants, it is Joy that they feel. Joy emerges from the depth of our darkest hours. It appears when we know and recognize how blessed we have been to be given such a wonderful gift. Joy is indeed a gift from God, a gift many can treasure.
Why not happiness? Being happy means being content in a way with your life. Being happy means everything must be going okay in one's life. But happiness is usually absent around the holiday seasons for those of us who have lost love ones over the years. It's hard to imagine a year or more without their present. It's hard to fill in the gaps in our lives where love one's once filled it up with their personalities. It's hard because it's visible enough to see someone is missing and they are truly being missed the most especially around the holidays.
So, I will end with this, treasure the ones you love and keep them near (just don't suffocate). Be good to one another, forgive one another and always let them know how you feel about them. We do not know what tomorrow holds, but we do know we are doing our best to live life in the best manner possible. I understand loss and I understand the heaviness of hearts during the holiday seasons. I understand it takes times. Just, don't let the death of a love one keep you from living. They would want you to keep it moving and I'm sure if they are looking down, they would want to see you doing great things with your life and happy. If you are down on your luck, keep your chin up, don't give up. Life wasn't meant to be smooth sailing, it was meant to challenge us. Where there is Joy, there you will find Hope. Where there is Hope, there you will find Love. Where there is Love, there you will find Peace. Be humble and grateful for what you do have and remember to count your blessings.
Peace.
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