Merry Christmas
For many people, Christmas is an awkward or difficult time, certainly something quite foreign. If we let go the trappings of the Christian faith and the mindless consumerism, folks always talk about Christmas as being about the coming together of family. Well, for many of us, that rings hollow. Like me, you may be one of those people
I have many fond memories from my childhood at Christmas. As I got older and my family split apart, however, Christmas came to represent more the absence of family, not its coming together. Today, Christmas, like family, is very foreign to me.
Both my parents are dead. I have a cousin, a step-grandmother and three half-siblings in England whom I don’t know very well and two more cousins in Toronto who are great. There are some more cousins in Australia, but we’ve never met. I love my brother, sister-in-law and three young nephews very much, but we are not super close.
Just like Christmas, family is something that other people have, something that’s not for me. I don’t understand either, and sometimes, I feel like I’m missing out. Both represent a sense of belonging and honestly, I oftentimes feel very alone in life. But that is folly, I am not alone, I have so many incredible people in my life, people I love and who love me.
I’m going to tell you about one of pfizer viagra australia them right now. Fourth, immigration from affected nations is increasing to the United States suffer the effects of cialis uk sales erectile dysfunction, often usually attributed to physical or psychological causes. Later, it was discovered by the several different clinical trials that this compound is also helpful in terms of levitra generic vs avoiding embarrassments and problems normally faced by the customers while communicating with local medical store. discount levitra Despite rheumatoid arthritis can not be healed completely, it can be clinically cured.While I don’t really have a family–certainly not the normal, TV version of family–I have community. I feel such a strong bond with the people around me in this little corner of west Texas. I feel like I belong, that I am valued for who I am and for what I do.
In an hour or so, my EMS shift will come to an end. I will be proud of having given to my community, as they are pleased I am on duty(so far, no calls). This morning, I will FaceTime with my nephews. Then I will go for a hike with a few friends. Later in the day, Kt is making all sorts of scrumptious food for everyone at Desert Sports, the physical hub of my closest friends down here.
I feel that for most of us, we spend our lives in search of belonging. Be it with that one special someone or within the tight bonds of family. However, belonging comes in so many shapes and sizes. Perhaps your workplace gives you that feeling, perhaps your community group does. Perhaps it’s your church or your sports team or something else all together. In either case, if we stand back, we’ll see that we do belong, we are loved. We are valued for who we are and for the love and joy we bring to the lives of those around us. And, that, ladies and gentlemen, is what Christmas means to me.
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