Do the Holidays bring up issues for you too? Family issues? Wounds from childhood? Okay, we didn't all grow up in the Huxtable residence. I know that I did not, unless imagination counts :) But it's okay the majority of us did not. Most of us have dealt with divorce, abuse, addictions, illness, abandonment, death and more.
In adult life many of us work to remedy the pains of the past...and we do pretty okay. Then all of a sudden December rolls in and we try to get that old family portrait (you know which one I'm talking about- the Sears horrible fake smile pretty family unit pic) nice and shiny again and guess what? It doesn't work! The image of tidings of comfort and joy gets smacked out of our heads and in comes a cold dose of what family is really about for many of us. CHALLENGE, growth and the human experience. I know that not everyone will be able to relate to this but for some it may touch a cord.
It just came to me, just now...after a lot of bumming it. I mean, I've been wishing for a deeper bond and more love and more understanding. Felt like the "different one" again and also pondered lots about the younger generation, wishing to open them up to new ways of thinking and being. I wished that my divorced parents were friends and silently yearned for a real family dinner with all of us in positive harmony. You know what, it wasn't perfect, but it was better than fantasty- it was REAL. Real is why we are here, not illusion. This doesn't mean that I won't aim for better relationships with my family and in general, but I think that first I need to accept : what is...truly except it. Things were actually pretty great when I look back on the positives and release the sucky parts...actually I could say that I shared some very awesome moments with the kids in my family and let my inner child seriously play. One of my favorite Christmas memories was wrestling on the couch with my 7 year of nephew, then we had a tickle party with my 3 year old neice joining in...oh man, I was a kid again.
So I basically don't have the deepest of wisdom and I'm not an expert on family relations, I just needed to share and to create something I guess...and I wanted to say that if we are grateful for what we have, truly grateful, then we always have enough. Life is not meant to be perfect, understanding and living this can ease a lot of our suffering. When I was a kid, I would dream of being a Huxtable cause they had no problem that could not be solved with a song & dance, theatrical performance or heart to heart talk...then everything would be okay (and all within 30 minutes). But this is real life and I love my crazy family and thank the creator for them.
God bless all of you and your crazy families
All the Best
