For Crying Out Loud

Anyone who knows me well, knows December is my favorite month of the year. I am a genuine Christmas fanatic, one of those gals who gets swept away in the nostalgia of all things Christmas: carols, cards, family gatherings, Advent activities, baking, warm drinks on cold nights, fireside chats...you name it, if it’s Christmasy, I probably love it! However, there have been years past when I got too swept away, packing too much into 25 days, stealing the joy of the season, and replacing it with stress. When January 1 came, I was worn out and weary, rather than recharged and full. After experiencing a couple of hectic holidays, I realized a few ways I went wrong. Maybe you’ve been there, too, so I'll share what I've learned. Proper perspective is crucial.  In an over-spending, over-calendared culture, keeping things simple definitely goes against the grain, and treasuring Christ in Christmas is a challenge. However, Christ is Christmas, and that first Christmas was pretty simp...

For several months I've seen the hashtag #thestruggleisreal on social media and it got me thinking about something. Don't get me wrong, h ashtags are beneficial, such as when on vacation and looking for good food recommendations, I could search #portland, #goodeatsinportland, etc. But the hashtags that got me thinking are not the serious, categorizing types, but the funny, sarcastic - almost taglines or punch-lines, such as: #thestruggleisreal. This phrase is used in a making fun of ourselves kind of way in all sorts of posts. For example:   A photo of a grumpy, crazy haired toddler, next to a mom holding a cup of coffee, with the caption: Monday morning. #thestruggleisreal. A photo of a Starbucks cup, with the caption: They got my order wrong...again. #thestruggleisreal. A photo of a full parking lot, with the caption: Late to work = parking across the street #thestruggleisreal …you get the idea. These are not a true struggles, in light of real life problems, but more of an i...