Over the past few months, I’ve been compiling all of my most effective tools, tricks and lessons and creating a journal to be used, written in and cried on off our computers and to be held in our hands. I’ve been creating another tool for you to heal those beautiful hearts and to acknowledge that you are exactly where you are supposed to be so that God can do his work in you and through you. It’s coming soon!! I’ll send out an announcement shortly!
As I’ve spent most of my day working on this today, I pulled out a quote from a past blog that I really wanted to focus on today. With the holidays upon us, it is hard to accept that we are “supposed” to be in this place right now. What once felt like such a treasured, sentimental season becomes depressing and heart wrenching, at best. How can we get through the holidays and find a place in our hearts to cherish this time when our hearts are breaking? From a past blog, I said,
“Let it go and hand it over and feel it release in your gut. That higher power that put you in this position has the same power to get you out. It’s waiting for you to surrender to it. Let go of the ownership of your grief. Hand it over, even just for a minute. In that one minute reprieve, relax and trust that your grief is being rearranged, organized and put back together as something that will make you shine. And isn’t that what your loved one would want for you anyway? Let your God turn your turmoil into treasure. Find a way to let it go and shine knowing that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.”
Rearranged, reorganized and rewrapped…like a present. That’s what’s happening in our hearts right now. While possibly you, and many of the people around you, are preparing for the celebration of Jesus’ birth, you can take comfort in knowing that you are being reborn again right now too. Because that is what happens after we lose loved one, isn’t it? Our old life doesn’t work anymore without our loved one in it. That is part of the struggle and the strain of the growth process of grief. Whether we want to or not, we start a new life. We find a new path. We find a new way to survive at first. Then that survival mode ultimately morphs into a new way to live. We are reborn…stronger, more appreciative, more grateful, and more aware of just how very precious this life is that we’ve been given. We take more chances. We give more. We know we must do things now. We forgive, forget and love hard because we have learned how short life can be. That’s the gift that only grief unwraps for us.
We may not get to unwrap the gift of this season of our lives on December 24th, or December 25th, even. There may be moments of feeling like our wrapping paper is being ripped off faster than we like or it may feel like we can hardly pull the tape off our gift. But mostly, our gift of this time will be unveiled slowly and at the perfect time designed specifically for you.
Here’s how we’re going to incorporate this healing and this process into our holiday season this year.
While you are hustling and trying to keep up with gift giving and merriment and finding yourself without the energy or spirit to take part in this season, take a moment to visualize placing your heart and your growth inside that box you are about to unwrap. Expect to be surprised by it. Expect a gift through all of this struggle and pain. Expect to find courage, and strength, and a more resilient version of you on the inside of that package. You are the gift that you are giving yourself. A gift that will grow and change and become who you are meant to be.
A gift is always given in love. So that gift you are unwrapping at this moment can only be unwrapped if handled with care and love. So be sure to nurture yourself like the gift you are unwrapping. While this season may be tough, remember there is a gift being delivered to you. You and your heart are being reorganized, rearranged and rewrapped so that you can be ready and prepared for what comes next.
Have you been able to visualize any gifts that might come to you through this season? Have you been able to place your heart, courage and strength in a gift box to give yourself? Please share, especially now. I know this month is tough for many of us here. Let us support you and help support others here who may be struggling through the season.
Sending you huge love!
Love and Blessings,
Erin