LuvIn "The Holidays"

I recently had a conversation with a great male friend of mine, about the stress, anxiety, despondence and a sense of disconnect many people experience as “the holidays” (you know, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s) roll around. Children, particularly those living in temporary situations such as foster care or a dysfunctional environment, experience heightened  anxiety during “the holiday” season.  But they are basically powerless to do anything about their situation; so my friend and I focused on adults.

We discussed the true meaning of each holiday (yes, we got into the history and economics of it all; don’t get me wrong - I love healthy consumerism, especially entrepreneurialism!) and that celebrating The Lord, new resolutions, gratitude and being with family and friends during “the holidays” should not be occasions of heavy stress but opportunities to experience “the gift of giving”.  So as my friend and I talked, I shared the following excerpt from my book about how I got past anxiety and loneliness I used to feel during “the holidays” post-college, and living on my own as a young adult: 

“I extended the practice of (selfless service) to my community especially during the holidays.  I developed the habit of bringing food to a homeless person on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas.  I can’t describe the immense satisfaction I got from making a contribution like this to others in need....There’s something very powerful about feeding others....Very soon, holidays were no longer a source of loneliness or a reminder of the pain I’d suffer as a child longing to spend the time with her own biological family....Still one of the most important lessons I discovered is that the separation from my biological family and the events that followed, were blessings on the yellow-brick-road toward a life of learning and joy”.

                        - From Validation Denied Grace Bestowed:somewhere between the ghetto

                                     and God was something called foster care...., pgs 56-57.

I had discovered what it really means to experience the gift of giving. For me the gift of giving is an indescribable sense of peace and satisfaction.

Thank you for reading.

~ Quelyn, Author of

    Validation Denied Grace Bestowed:somewhere between the ghetto and God was something called foster care...

 

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Copyright©2012 Quelyn Purdie