Welcome to the inside of my head!!!! My journal is a place where I let my thoughts off their leash and they get to run free. Unafraid of what others might think, feel, or say. Here I will be sharing with you everything that is important to me. That could be anything from the state of our beloved planet to my new favorite nail polish. Do your thoughts have a playground where they can let loose and be free? I invite you to "gift" yourself and your thoughts by keeping a journal. You never know what new and fun things you might find in there.Tomiko

2009-12-02

Happy Holidays Goddesses! As I sit here writing this, I am steeped in the complete opposite of holiday cheer. Let's just say life is really tossing me around a bit right now. I am doing my best to hang on and it's not always easy.

Christmas lost it's glimmer for me after my mother died. My sister and I had the BEST Christmases growing up. We always got everything we wanted and them some for Christmas. You see, my mother was the unofficial matriarch in our extended family. She made sure that all of our family got together for the holidays. I can't remember a Thanksgiving or Christmas where our house wasn't buzzing with activity....kids running around, grown folks drinking and laughing, somebody having a bit too much to drink and so on. Those were great times.

My mother died on December 15, 1991. Ten days before Christmas. Needless to say, that year we did not celebrate. And it seems that I haven't been able to truly recapture the feelings of my childhood holidays. Before I got married, I did the obligatory gift giving and card sending. But I didn't take much pleasure in it. My soul wasn't feeling good about it. Once I got married, my husband and I would exchange gifts and managed to drum up some holiday spirit. Yet never with the same enthusiasm as did when I was a child. My brother even began to "adopt" our nonchalant attitude towards the holiday season and that made my heart sink.

So the combination of life currently being difficult and my hoohum attitude about Christmas, you can just imagine the tone of my household right now. NO BUENO, as my husband would say.

But, aren't I the one who always preaches "Your thoughts create your reality", "Keep Shining" and so on? Aren't I the one that encourages others to gently nurture their spirit while in the midst of upheaval? Isn't it me who stated that her purpose in life is to "empower, encourage and inspire?" Well, I need a big dose of "HELLO!" right now and I just got it.

While my life may be turned upside down right now, I really do have A LOT to be grateful for. And that is what sparked what I know will breathe life into this holiday season for me and my family.

GRATITUDE! It's free. It's all around us. It feels great. And people love giving it and receiving it. I am going to create a Season of Gratitude this year! : )

First, we'll put up a tree (this was up for debate until now). Not only will I decorate it as I normally do (which was always a chore and no fun for the past several years), but my family and I will add hand-made "gratitude displays". We'll cut pictures out of magazines that represent things we are grateful for and make them into ornaments. We'll take personal photos of the people we're grateful for and make them into ornaments as well. We'll find all kinds of fun and creative ways to adorn the tree with everything we're grateful for. Now that's something I can get on board for.

Another concern (chore) was buying gifts for everyone. Especially given the current economy and our not so vibrant financial status, I was not looking forward to purchasing gifts. But with this being the newly dubbed Season of Gratitude, we can come up with creative ways to express our gratitude for those in our lives. We can write letters, bake yummy desserts, sing songs, and a host of other fun and cost-effective ways to express our appreciation.

I am sooooo excited as I am writing this. Wow, ME excited about Christmas again! : )

I invite you to jump on this gratitude train and find ways to let your loved ones know how much you appreciate them. Buying a gift is easy. Creatively sharing your love and appreciation for others will take your holiday to a whole new level. And I bet the gift of gratitude will last longer than any gift you can buy.

Create a holiday that lifts your spirits. No matter how bad things are at this moment, I know you have something or someone to be grateful for. Let the light of love and appreciation light you up and allow you to enjoy the "present" of being alive.

HAPPY SEASON OF GRATITUDE!

Continued blessings and Keep Shining...... : )