Words and prayers propping me up.
Holding me to this season.
This time of remembering.
I am blessed to know these folks.
To have their words and prayers pouring into my life.
I think many people are quite curious about me in this season of grief and remembering wrapped up with Christmas.
Curious as to my state of mind.
Wondering how I am doing.
I think I may ‘appear’ to be too happy for some people in my life.
But I am here to tell you I am not happy about many things…and my life has nothing to do with happiness right now.
For me, joy comes with or without happiness.
It hits me no matter my daily circumstance or season.
Joy is not from me, but a gift from God.
Gratitude, love, joy!
Flooding me, pouring out, flowing in.
It is nothing I am ‘doing’.
I am just ‘being’.
Being present with the people God has surrounded me with.
Allowing my sadness to hit me.
It is one year, less one day, since my mom’s death.
One more ‘first’ to live without mom.
In my sadness, I know JOY will be coming.
The joy of the Lord is my strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
Leaning into Him through my struggles.
Thanking Him for ALL I am grateful for.
Watching JOY fill this season.
Merry ‘joy-filled’ Christmas to you and yours.
Merry Christmas from our boys:
Three Year Old Magic Carpet Rider
Seven Year Old Bumps & Jumps
![IMG_7686[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_76861.jpg?w=338&h=445)
Five Year Old Snowball
![IMG_7685[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_76851.jpg?w=338&h=445)
Laughter in the midst of tears.
Winter amidst the desert.
Rowing my boat of grief.
Riding my skis down the slopes.
Taking it ALL in.
Living it now!
Deal with it now rather than later.
I ain’t no sweeping it under the carpet kind of girl.
But I do love riding the magic carpet too!
God is gracious to give me these three amazing boys.
I love you Magic Carpet Rider, Bumps & Jumps and Snowball.
We had the great privilege to spend three days and two nights up at a ski resort. Ski in/ski out, eat in/eat out, ride up/swoosh down, sunshine/snow. It truly was a vacation for all of us, including Papa.
A break from routine.
A diversion from the upcoming one year anniversary of mom leaving us for heaven.
A snow-filled, sun-filled, winter-activity weekend.
Our great friends, Baron Bob and Princess P came and visited us for the evening. The boys went tubing with them for the first time and even go to try the mini-snowmobiles (one day later, once the worker could get them started!)
Nordic skiing down the Bridal Path where we saw snowmobiles, horse-drawn carriages and a few other skiers. ![IMG_7661[1]](https://beenough.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_76611.jpg?w=300&h=300)
Playing some hockey on the pond with Papa. Everyone got into the action this year!
Tubing… three year old OC looked a little small for the tube, but he was allowed.
The boys were very, very excited to go on the mini-snowmobiles. JC ran into a snow fence, CC managed to zip around him and come back around the loop.
It was a wonderful pre-Christmas vacation!
May the Lord hold you close this Christmas where ever you are physically and within yourself.
What a wonderful season it is to celebrate Jesus’s birthday.
Life is very simple around our house these days.
Little to no shopping.
Simple meals.
Family time.
Outside play.
Inside creativity.
Sexy Neck is very busy work. The boys have many ‘special’ events at school. I continue to row my boat of grief, remembering last December’s hospital and hospice journey with my mom and her leaving this earth on Boxing Day.
We are weary and tired!
Today, on this eleventh day of December, we had three turtle doves by our tree…
I wonder when the partridge will show up in her pear tree? Who wrote the twelves day of Christmas and how did turtles get involved? I bet that children in Tupperware bins inspired the song. (And maybe a bottle of wine?)
Family time.
Creative boys.
Laughter.
Inspired by a song.
And Tupperware bins.
May we all enjoy the little moments this Christmas season. Life’s BEST times are a series of little moments treasured as gifts.
What a gift we were given this evening to watch our three turtle doves!
After my seminar on surviving the holidays while grieving, I feel free.
I live.
Breathe.
I have.
Freedom.
To choose.
My boys and I sat down. We talked about what we love to do and make over the Christmas season. We talked about many people as well as cookies, puzzles, decorating trees, Jesus’s birthday, sledding, skating, singing and advent calendars filled with chocolate. The most interesting thing is not once was a present or gift mentioned. Not once!
Our Christmas traditions have begun in our new home, one year later than planned but with freedom to choose what we want and my mom’s traditions to carry on.
Quilted tree skirt.
Advent calendars.
Christmas music.
Decorating gingerbread.
Personalized Christmas decorations.
Lights.
Candles.
Love.
Thanks mom. You live on through your amazing thoughtfulness, incredible creativity and pure love for us all.
Joy and grief.
Interconnected.
Mixing together.
In all we make and do.
I love my man! We have ‘grown up’ together, and lived more than half our lives together.
For today, I will leave it at that because I have a Christmas ditty to share.
Last night at my grief seminar, they talked about family traditions and taking the time to re-evaluate what we do at Christmas time.
This afternoon I applied this by talking to the boys about what they really love to do at Christmas. Our youngest loved cookies, our five year old said stockings and our oldest said ‘tree’. I asked what he meant. He said that he would like to have a tree and decorate it.
In previous years, we would drive out of town to a family tree farm, have a play in the snow, some hot chocolate and cut down a tree. I ask the boys if they wanted to go to the tree farm and they emphatically yelled, “No!”. They just wanted a tree.
No commercial break here, as in steps our hero…. My man is driving home from work, we call him and ask him on speaker phone, “Dada, can you bring us a Christmas tree?” No questions asked he says, “I will do my best!”
Only thirty minutes later, Sexy Neck shows up like this:
All with his tie and work clothes still on.
Creating blessed family traditions.
One unexpected day at a time.
With my hardworking, flexible man.
And what a man he is!
We awoke to copious amounts of snow.
White.
Snow.
It ended up being a shovelling, sledding, snowman building morning before the school bell rang.

For me it was a bright light in the midst of dark times where everyday someone is talking about Cancer, telling me about their mom’s surgery or walking with their mom past me.
The loss of my mom continues to be deep and dark.
The love and traditions my mom had around Christmas continue to bring light. She was an incredibly thoughtful mom and Nana.
I am awakening to this new light.
White.
Bright.
Everlasting love.
Thank you mom!
Thank you God for fresh, white, new snow.