There’s been one Christmas song, or rather one line from a Christmas song, that’s really resonated with me this year:
“Through the years we all will be together. If the fates allow.”
If the fates allow.
The fates haven’t been favorable to many of us this year. Christmas, once filled with hustle and bustle and family time, may feel incredibly flat. Your merry and bright might be a little dulled.
But even though we can’t control our circumstances, we can take ownership of our perspective. So that’s the gift I’m giving myself this year. If what we focus on we feel, I’m going to grant my attention toward optimism. I’m going to remember that every year unlocks its own tragedies and triumphs, but that’s just part of the unsigned contract of humanity: sometimes we get to skim through life, and sometimes we suffer.
It’s a little too ambitious for me to say, “From now on our troubles will be out of sight,” because I could see those troubles blindfolded in the black of the night (thank you, covid and an over-analytical brain). But Christmas brings the promise of new beginnings, and if you are a believer, it also brings the promise that nothing ever ends—and that is the only reason why I can have myself a merry little Christmas.
Whether the fates have unleashed one heck of a year on you, or it’s been blessed beyond abundance, I hope these next few weeks are nothing but merry and bright—and that doesn’t mean perfect. It means present with renewed perspective.
We’re going to make it, friends. This year, we’re going to find a new kind of joy in our worlds.
To More Love,
Stephanie
