Wow what an awesome Christmas!! This Christmas was awesome. The Johnson’s had a big one.
Me, LeAnne, and the boys really had a great Christmas this year. It was a great time to be had by all. One of the things I am most grateful for is that even though it could have been a sad Christmas since it is the first Christmas since my mom passed away, we still chose to make it a great one. That is not to say it wasnt hard. And yes I had several “cries” during the last couple of weeks just thinking about her and the fact that this was our first Christmas without her. She really got into Christmas with the decorations, the baking, and the gifts for the grandkids.
I guess the main way I was able to keep from being overwhelmed with sadness, even though i felt like it many times, was to keep the focus off myself and remember a few important facts:
- She is in heaven and has no sadness or pain anymore. And she would never want me to be sad about her.
- Christmas is about giving to others, not about self. That is what Christ did!
- I realized if i was crying or sad it would take away from others joy
Really I guess it all came down to taking focus off of myself, and putting it on others. Doing this helped me to stay “in the Christmas spirit”, full of joy and making conscious efforts to think about others. And this is pretty much the answer to a lot of LIFE. As we take our focus off of SELF, and choose to put it on others, not only to we end up doing a lot of good for others, we also reap the benefits from it personally.
Expect to finish off 2016 great. And Expect to make great things happen for others in 2017. in 2017 as you choose to make great things happen for others, God will make great things happen for you! Ye baby!
Your health, your life, your choice. God bless u kj
2 responses to “CHRISTmas! It was a great one this year. But it could have easily not been a very good one.”
Thanks for this article about Christmas and how to focus on others to make it great again. This was my first Christmas without my 15 year old son, he passed away in Aug. this year and I too had several cries myself. I do however, have a 6 year old son that I tried to shift my main focus on and was able to see the joy in his eyes and his smiling face, that is what made my Christmas not so sad as well. God bless you and yours. Thanks again.
Lindsay thanks so much for the response. I cant imagine your loss for sure. But i know we, me and you, have a mighty big God. He loves you and your family and wants you to keep expecting great things from Him. He is not the thief or the destroyer. Awful things happen in this life, many times without any explanation. In all of it though, He still wants you to stay focused on His Love for you and your family, and to know that He can and still wants to do great things for you and your family.