Gifts for Christmas Mourning

I have been away from my blog for far, far too long.  It is almost the festive season, almost the season where I relive the worst days of my life.  I know I need to get back to writing but I also know I need to get back to focusing on positives, on blessings and at this time of reliving and sadness for me I need to really focus on the gifts that loss and grief have brought to my life.  In the past I have come up with themes for this season and blogged daily at times about them.  One year I even had a theme for each day and encouraged others to share their thoughts on those themes. 

This year I am not as good of a planner and I am far behind where I usually am in my planning process but I also have an idea that I hope will encourage others to share their thoughts more this year.

So what I am planning is to keep things very general and open to whatever is on someone’s heart and encourage anyone who is struggling with any sort of emotion this holiday season to join me in the facebook group I have set up, https://www.facebook.com/events/1578613315693856/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming&source=1&sid_create=551511685
I plan to share, as often as possible, where I see the gifts that have come to my life from my loss.  That might be just a few words, it might be a photo, an encouraging quote, a song or maybe an entire blog post dedicated to some type of change for the better that I have seen in my life.  I know that I will also share some of my sadness, my insecurities and my challenges in the hopes that others will be able to relate and to encourage. 

Just to help those who might wish to participate and prepare something in advance here are some ideas of what I plan to share….

Where I found hope, joy and peace, who brings that into my life that might not be there if not for this loss (my survivor, some amazing friends, a foundation I work with etc), appreciation for others, a gift to write encouraging words, faith, appreciation for the medical world, admiration of others who do things to help, friendships, kindness of others, awareness of the unsaid by those close to me and those who I hardly know, appreciation for the writings of authors and those with the gift of encouragement.

This list could likely go on and on but you can the point I think. 

I will also touch on those days that are so hard to get through (Dec. 13 is only, gulp, 15 days away and is such a struggle for me as is Christmas day at times) and what has worked and what hasn’t.  I will share some of the things that make me the saddest and what turns that around for me (admittedly this will be an area for encouragement as sometimes it’s nearly impossible for me to not feel sad about some things).  I will share triggers and I will share my most honest feelings about things that have been said and done that hurt…and how I get through that.

Please join me in this journey….by reading what I post but also by posting your own ‘Gifts for Christmas Mourning’