It’s the Season

HOPE – PEACE – JOY – LOVE

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It’s the Season

So much happens at this time of year as we walk through the season of Advent, celebrate Christmas Day, and make plans to usher in New Year’s. It can be a stressful time for most of us.

For some of us excitement is in the air, there is a flurry of preparations and activities as we anticipate family get togethers, travels, baking, and sharing together.

Yet, for many others, this season can stir up difficult childhood memories, losses of loved ones, loneliness, financial limitations, and relational regrets, just to name a few.

These memories can often bring challenging emotions or circumstances that are overwhelming and cause us to automatically react instead of stopping, pausing, and learning to make choices that can help us embrace new perspectives that bring glimmers of hope.

In my case, the closer Christmas day comes, so does a little cloud of melancholy – for you see it is a bittersweet time for me. When I was 32 my father died at dinnertime on Christmas day after a short battle with an aggressive lung cancer.

That’s the bitter part - the loss of a father on one of my favorite days of the year.

It took some time, but the sweet part is that I’ve learned to intentionally focus more on the birth of Christ than on the losses or sad memories this season brings. What helped me most was to remember all the good that I have experienced through the year, rather than focus only solely on what I have lost. Even though it is important to attend to our struggles, we must also look for what is good in our lives – both are important to do.

Lament the loss; embrace the good.

With practice and time, I learned to find new and meaningful ways of embracing the coming of Christmas day with how I celebrate the weeks of Advent. It is a time where I intentionally remind myself how the coming of Christ brings so much despite difficult circumstances or memories. Through celebrating Advent each week, I intentionally remind myself how God has ushered in hope, peace, joy, and love into our world through Christ’s birth.

So, as I anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth on December 25^th, and what his birth means to the hope of our world I focus on these words – HOPE – PEACE – JOY – LOVE and how they have shown up in my life through the year.

These qualities may have presented themselves through a relationship, a comment, a word, an experience, a moment, a thought, an insight, a church service, a song, a touch, a piece of art, a text, a conversation, a friend, etc.

Why it’s important to Remember what Good is – Reaching Out for Connection

When we have experienced a time of suffering be it any kind of loss, loneliness, chronic illness, broken relationship, unemployment, cancer or some other unwanted health diagnosis, a financial crisis, or caregiving challenges, etc. we can easily get stuck focusing on the negative and on what we don’t have. When the negative is overwhelming our hearts and our minds, we can easily forget to look for anything good.

Yet when we can bring helpful new perspectives to these past painful experiences it can change our outlook and the way we walk through them. It isn’t in the ignoring or minimizing of a loss but processing it in a way that doesn’t keep us stuck. When we can acknowledge, accept, and attend to the challenges of our memories with safe others (like a good friend, qualified counsellor, or pastor, etc.) it can free up a bit of space in our mind to look for some good.

Good soul care and self-care, while attending to our struggles, and looking for the good, can help us gain new perspectives, experience interpersonal growth and resilience for the next steps in our life journeys.

Looking for Good

Each of us has a different approach in looking for good. I’d love to hear where you find your inspiration to look for good.

I’ll start – here’s my list of what helps me look for good and create space in my heart to see and receive good.

• Music and singing

• Watercolor painting

• Scripture (I remind myself of God’s promises)

• Quiet time and prayer

• An inspirational book

• Sharing my heart with a friend

• A book club discussion of a great read

• A good devotional book

• Walking my dog

• Writing and reflective journalling

• Educating myself about soul care activities that are helpful

• Volunteering and finding ways to give back

It is in the recalling of these “good” memories, along with reflecting on God as the ultimate source of these advent words HOPE – PEACE – JOY – LOVE, that remind me of the life-giving richness and promises that have come with a tiny little baby’s birth that that can bring so much goodness and life to us all.

It is my greatest desire that you will find much HOPE – PEACE – JOY – LOVE as you find new ways to embrace life this Christmas season.

Are you Choosing a Theme Word for 2025?

For many years, I’ve prayerfully chosen a theme word as my focus. It’s always been a growing experience filled with “aha” moments. I plan on doing the same for 2025, but not today – not right now.

I’ve decided to wait until January because I don’t want my theme word to feel like a New Year’s resolution.

I want my choice to be done with a prayerful focus and become something that I intentionally cultivate, embrace, look for, and live toward as I live out in my life through 2025.

For me, a theme word helps me in cultivate a way of living prayerfully and it is important to me that it not become a checklist, set of goals, or to-do’s because I know there will be days where I’ll forget and days I’ll have to hit the “reset” button and begin anew.

With it being so close to Christmas as well as the end of the year, I didn’t want to feel pressured to choose quickly without reflecting on how my 2024 year went. Instead, I’ve decided to start this process in January when I’ll be more rested and not so busy.

I figured this was okay (I don’t think there are any rules with a WOTY) because I’m of the mindset that theme words can be a yearlong or even seasonal based on a person’s unique stage, circumstances, and journey through life.

How about you?

If you are interested in joining with me, please put a thumbs up or drop a comment below.

IMPORTANT: If you leave your first name or initials, I’ll be praying for you by name as we prepare for our 2025 Word of the Year!

Hey! I’m Celebrating!

I’m so excited that my book, “Embrace Life, Embrace Hope” made it as a finalist in Canada’s World Guild for 2024. It made the finalist list as one of the top three books in the category of Christian Living and Spiritual Formation.

So if you are looking for an inspirational read please be sure to purchase a copy or give a copy as a gift to a friend.

Important Note: All my author proceeds are donated to Cancer Research.

Click HERE to see where you can purchase your copy!

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For the first time ever, I attended a Christmas fair here in Calgary to sell some books and paintings for Cancer Research.

As an extra goody to say “thanks” to all those who stopped by to chat and sign up for my newsletter with their email, I prepared a package filled with some Christmas goodies and took names for a free draw.

We did select a winner! I wanted to announce that A.L-R had her name drawn for the Christmas Package! Congratulations – “A” I hope you enjoyed it!!

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As I close, my heart prays for each person reading this. May you open your hands and hearts to receive much HOPE – PEACE – JOY – LOVE this Christmas season and in the new year ahead.

See you all in 2025!

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