For All The Lonely People

[MamaKel]

The holidays, to so many, ring of family and togetherness.  They seem to reveal...for even a brief time...the more noble aspects of life...charity...hope...kindness...faith...togetherness.  And we should all genuinely enjoy the ways these wonderful things manifest in our lives.  We should be grateful for every moment these miracles of man are evident in our everyday existence.  But I think part of recognizing how much we do have...is when we're forced to see what we, and others, do not have.

Tomorrow is going to be hard for me.  I lost my dad, my hero, this year.  My dad had the keen ability to make everything special.  He was the basis of our family traditions.  Everywhere we go, we leave a chair open.  It is the measure of the space left in our hearts.  At the same time, because of divorce, I will not be spending Christmas with my precious little boy, who is my reason for living.  It is truly a rare kind of heartbreak to not be with him.  So, when I listen to "I'll Be Home For Christmas", I pray that I sleep a little later in the morning, so that those sweet dreams of being with my loved ones will last.

This said, I count my blessings.  I may not be with my little boy for Christmas...but before he left, I kissed his face a million times, and reveled at every eyelash that curls from his big brown eyes...because the fact is, he is alive, and I am allowed to do so.  I pray for every parent who lost a child this year...whether to violence, or to disease, or to any other unimaginable circumstance...for to lose an innocent child is an unfathomable loss to the world.  And whether you believe in the religious teachings behind Christmas or not, there is something to be said for that sacred wonder of life...that each time a person is born, they hold within their being, precious gifts that so miraculously divine, that they have the potential to change the world.

So, friends, please count your blessings. Please hug your mom and dad, if they're around...your brothers and sisters...your family and friends...your children and lovers. Look at them as though they are the most glorious thing ever created...because when they are gone, trust me, you will feel what you knew all along...that you should have told them you loved them a million more times...every chance you got.

If you know anyone who is going to be alone, try to invite them over, or at least call them to wish them well. This world is a sad place because beauty is so often overlooked and forgotten...or is just told that 'there's no more room at the inn'.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas.  God Bless.

[Fully]

So beautifully put, Kelly. I'm sorry about your father. I lost mine seven years ago, and he is still missed. If the day is too difficult for you, try to remember that it's just one day, and you'll get through it. If you can get out of the house to a movie later in the day, it might help some.

[MamaKel]

Thank you very much for the kind words, Fully.  You are right about it just being a day...but as The Grateful Dead lament..."All the years combine, they melt into a dream..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwj_nf-E8-M

[jaye]

Thanks for the reminders MamaKel - big hugs to you and hope your day is not too hard.
 

[MamaKel]

Thank you so much Jaye.  Although I was sad not to spend it with two of the people I love most in the world, there's no one else in the world that I would have rather spent it with than the people I was with. There's no place like home for the holidays.  Hope you all had a nice Christmas.

Here's to a new year filled with less of the same.

[Penny Lane]

So sorry to hear about your loss, Mamak. The holidays are especially rough when you've lost someone, I can't imagine. Please hang in there and thanks for reminding us about our blessings. *hugs* to you over the holidays..

[MamaKel]

Thank you, Miss Penny Lane. That was really sweet of you.  *hugs* to you as well...I hope you have such a great time at the shows, mama!!! Throw some granny panties on stage for me!!! 

[deidralynn]

Very Nice!

[bunk_moreland]

Thanks for sharing.  This was also my first Christmas without my kids.  Their mom moved to Florida 3 summers ago and since then they've been with me at Christmas and all summer long but this year they couldn't come up for Christmas break and it's been kinda sucky.  3 months till spring break though!

[MamaKel]

You just gotta be thankful for every minute with those precious little ones.  I'm so sorry that you are far away from them, but I am learning that each situation is unique, and that distance does not negate love.  It's a hard lesson to learn.  But I truly am just grateful to be that little boy's mama.  I am so sorry you had to spend Christmas away from your little ones. And that you won't see them until Spring Break.  I hope it goes quickly, and that you have plenty of interaction in the meanwhile!!