So what if it's 75 Degrees & the economy sucks!

     Facebook is a funny tool. I regularly am surprised by trending emotions... so much more relevant to me than trending stories, games, or LOL CATZ. If you watch Facebook long enough you see groups of people have bad days together, even if they've never met and live a thousand miles away from each other. Maybe it's just taking it back to that Senior Speech I totally flubbed... but I believe people share like paths.

    Of course that doesn't mean people who share bad days together are the same and will do the same things; it's probably not astrologically related like I assumed in sed speech soooo many years ago (oh geez, nearly a decade and a half ago!), but I do think maybe it has something to do with global biorhythms.

     Whatever the case may be... if something is in the air, you can see it on Facebook! And, it is quite apparent lately that very few people are feeling the Christmas Spirit. It's all sorts of different causes: Someone criticizes your choice to put up Christmas ornaments at the office, some @$$H0%* driver nearly kills you because he/she can't wait to get to Khols, family SUCKS, job is worse or can't find a job, first Christmas with postpartum, losing a loved one, economy sitting on your chest and your wallet... all these things are really bumming people out this year. Hell I'm feeling it too. I just got out of a semester from hell (only so awful as it took up so much of my time and left me feeling dizzy and disoriented), the weather is miserable (rainy and 75 with a chance of more rain and misery), our pockets are pinched, last minute changes to the Christmas list AREN'T going to happen, no cable to catch all the cheesy Christmas movies and barrage of holiday commercials, and issues nailing down a closing that should have already happened last week.

     It's enough to sag every one's stockings and for us it's compounded by our oldest coming very close to 'outgrowing' the magic of Santa and Christmas. How could the world do this to us NOW, when these are last good days of innocence?

     But I'm trying to hard to say, "So What!" Because I can't spend this time miserable. Sometimes you have to MAKE Christmas happen... just like you have to MAKE your life stop sucking! My Christmas wish this year is for everyone who's having a hard time to get creative... to be BLESSED with creativity to make their lives better. If you hate your job, change it. If you can't find a job make one (I've got friends who mow yards, make soap, cook up some fantastic fudge, alter clothes and then some). If you aren't thrilled with your family, get to know a lost cousin or something... heck get married and make a better family, or just hang out with your friends.

    For me I know my spirit is dampened, but I can't let it get in the way; wallowing in it won't make it better. I'm going to spend some time with my Les Amis buddies tomorrow, eat my buche de Noel even if it doesn't turn out as expected, and count my blessings. For me, I know I need to find God in all this too. Whether or not December 25th is the actual birth date of Jesus Christ (Europe celebrates different dates and as oft claimed by pagans and atheists, Dec 25 has it's roots in pre-Christ celebrations), that is the date when WE celebrate it. So as a Christian I need to remember that no matter how crappy my day is or how miserable I might be, someone - my God- died for me to save me from my sins. He endured much more than I, with a pure soul and I get to reap the benefits.

    Yes I have the right to wallow in my crappy days sometimes, but it is my obligation to myself, my family, and the God that acts as my Father, to pick myself up... dust myself off, and try to appreciate the life of love and forgiveness that I was given.

   So for all the lonely and wilting hearts out there... I say MERRY CHRISTMAS, may you truly be blessed with the love of our savior. When no one else is there, he is. When no one else will help, he will... and if you can't find him, call me. I might not be able to show you the exact way, but I'm here to listen and can tell you about my rocky path to God.