Christmas.
It can be wonderful. It can be tough.
For most of us, there is pain associated with this time of year. We’re all missing someone – probably several someones. Our hearts yearn. Old wounds and losses resurface, and we feel the pain.
I know there is nothing I can say that will wipe away the pain or restore what and who you’ve lost. So this morning, I’m praying for you. As I pray, I find myself wishing three things for you this holiday.
On this Christmas, I wish you hope.
Hope can seemingly disappear in times of loss. Our hearts have been hit, broken, or even crushed. Pain and grief can take over. We can barely lift our heads.
Hope did not disappear. It is not threatened by loss or tragedy. It is always present. We must find it. For most of us, hope reveals itself when we’re ready.
I wish you hope.
On this Christmas, I wish you peace.
Peace is not the absence of turmoil, pain, or trouble. Peace is a sense of “okay-ness,” no matter what is happening to or around us.
Peace flows from a sense of safety. When we feel safe, we can begin to heal and grow. We can begin to live with more boldness and less fear.
I wish you this sense of okay-ness and safety, no matter what is happening to you or around you.
I wish you peace.
On this Christmas, I wish you love.
This is why we grieve – because we dared to love. We’re designed to connect and wired for relationship. No wonder loss hurts.
Love lasts. It endures. This is why we still grieve.
Love is about seeking someone else’s ultimate good, even at great cost to ourselves. Love is about commitment, service, sacrifice. It comes from the heart.
You were made to love and be loved. I wish for you that you could know how loved you are. I want you surrounded by safe, understanding, and compassionate souls. We all need that.
I wish you love.
Hope. Peace. Love.
I know they may seem distant or to have disappeared entirely. But I believe these blessings are still there (and have always been there), waiting for you.
When all seems lost, may hope become visible.
When chaos and uncertainty seem to reign, may peace invade our hearts.
When loneliness and longing encompass us, may love surround us and whisper what we need to hear.
I wish these for you – hope, peace, and love.
Thank you for the honor of being in this with you.
Merry Christmas.
Additional resources: As Christmas Day approaches, check out these articles for last minute holiday help. If you find them helpful, pass them along:
- 3 Tips for Overcoming Grief at Holiday Time – Professor’s House
- 3 Tips for Enjoying the Holidays, Even While Grieving – Dr. Laura
- 9 Options for Healthy Grieving During the Holidays – Wellness.com
- 3 Tips for When Grief Collides with Your Holiday Celebrations – Thrive Global
Breathe deeply. Take your heart seriously.
Thank you Gary for all you do. Your work has helped me through some tough times. I’m sure it will in the ones to come. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Hi Vickie. Thanks for sharing and for your support. Together, we’ll move ahead, somehow, and do some good in the process. Hope your Christmas was a good one.
Thanks for this post, Gary! Very comforting!!!
The Christmas holiday is difficult!!
Thanks for making this holiday bearable!!
God Bless You and Your Family this Christmas Season!!
Hi Linda. Thanks so much for sharing. Hope your Christmas was a good one – and that you were kind to yourself. Blessings to you…
Thank you Gary. For continuing to put your much needed message out there. The message is spot on and there are many who need it. They have brought me hope and peace the last couple of years as I faced the caregiving and loss of my spouse.
My hope is that what you put out into the world comes back to you this holiday season.
A grateful follower.
HI Tammy. Thanks so much for this heartfelt encouragement. And thank you for your support. Kind hearts like yours keep me going! Hope you are doing well. Blessings…
Merry Christmas Gary and thank you for all that you do for so many who are hurting including myself. I lost my best friend of 20 years. I work at a retirement home and take care of a grocery store and my dear friend Orv lived at the home and volunteered every single day with me. He would even go out shopping with me and help. He passed away in June and yes I know that he lived a great life and just made his 90th. birthday but it hurts so much. I have a huge whole in my heart. He was like a dad that I had never had, and a grandpa to my boys. I really miss him this morning at work because I got in Christmas Stollens in for the residents in the store to buy. He would always help me set them up. Oh boy do I miss him, I can’t even write this without crying. Thanks again. Merry Christmas to you all.
Hi Roberta. Thanks for sharing this. Orv sounds wonderful. I’m so sorry. I hope your Christmas was bearable, and had a lot of good in it. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, please let me know. Blessings…
Thank you Gary! May you also have peace love & hope during the holidays. Missing my son more & more as each year passes. This will be my 3rd Christmas without him?So hard when everyone else seems to have moved on & never acknowledge him during family gatherings. Wishing you the best in the coming year!
Hi Sue. Thanks for sharing. I’m so proud of you. I know this is so hard. You are healing, honoring him, and taking your heart seriously. That’s huge. Please continune to be kind to yourself. Blessings on your 2019…
Gary you are such a kind, caring person. I just can’t seem to let go. I was buying Christmas cards and stopped to read the for daughter ones. Just stood there with tears on my face reading each one and feeling renewed heart break and pain. I bought one to put at her grave but I hate having to put it there instead of in her hands where it should be! Always ending with if only.
HI Gin. Thanks for sharing. I’m so sorry about your daughter. I think what you did was wonderful. I’m so proud of you. You took your heart seriously and honored her at the same time. Well done. Yes, I know it was very emotional. How could it not be? If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know. Blessings to you…
Thang you Pam you are so sweet two loses in just a few months. Apart is a. Lot to. Swollow. Love you Brandi. And. Pam
Merry Christmas to you, too, Gary. I’d like to add that you have no idea how much comfort your words bring to me. My husband died on 11/11/16 after 6+1/2 years of heart problems. I was his caregiver and he died in my arms in our home. I feel so empty inside, but find comfort from your words and in knowing others feel the same. God Bless You, and I thank you.
Hi Helen. Thank you for sharing and for your encouraging words and support. I’m glad be in this with you. Again, I’m so sorry about your hasband. Six and half years can seem like yesterday with a loss like that. Please be kind to yourself. Merry Christmas.
Your Christmas wishes are perfectly stated, Gary, and well worth sharing, which I intend to do. Blessings to you, and from my heart to yours, thank you so much for posting this beautiful message!
HI Marty. Thanks for sharing and for your kind words. Thank you for all you do! Grateful that we’re in this together. Blessings to you this Christmas season!
Thank you.
Hi Sidney. You’re welcome. It’s a honor to walk with you in all this.
Very helpful for a mom to share with the children that no longer have a dad. Thank you
HI Shawn. Thanks for sharing. Oh my. I’m so sorry. If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know. Blessings and Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your emails & Merry Christmas!
HI Suzanne. Thanks for sharing and for your kindenss. Grateful for you!