I have been struggling with what to write, it’s that time of year that can cause mixed feelings for some people. Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is just around the corner. Maybe you are missing someone who has passed away or maybe this is the beginning of the end of holidays with your loved one due to a medical diagnosis with no cure. Having kids question why grandma didn’t bring the famous pie or why grandpa can’t play cards with you is hard. Things are shifting, changing and questions are asked and answers don’t come easy. I have been there. It’s hard to decorate the tree and get excited about gifts when there is such an obvious void. My dad died in November so there was just a few weeks to process and try to be jolly. So we did what we would have done if he had been here, read the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2, shared a few memories of him and then we (the adults at least) poured a shot of whisky and toasted a Merry Christmas. It gets easier, time passes and new memories are made and in our case new people are added to the family. You don’t forget but it is possible to find the joy and celebrate even when things don’t look quite the same. As my preacher said a few weeks ago grief and grace coexist, it’s not one or the other. They aren’t separate rides at an amusement park, we travel them at the same time. Joy and sorrow are really just two sides of the same coin.
