The holiday season for many is filled with hosting & attending family dinners, parties, decorating, baking, shopping, traveling and a list of other events and activities. There is hustle and bustle all around as people make plans to attend school plays, shows, and concerts. Our TV channels, social media pages and neighborhoods are filled with reminders of Tis’ the Season daily.

All of these things seem to make our seasons merry & bright until loss creeps into our lives. What was once a season to embrace joy & laughter, is now visited with sorrow, heart-aching memories and tears. The absence of a loved one can make the entire holiday feel cold, bitter and difficult. Major losses can make holiday traditions feel burdensome and your pain may seem unavoidable. It’s OK to recognize that these struggles exist, so that we don’t ignore our feelings. Some of you may be feeling the urge to skip the holidays altogether. And that choice is yours.

I want you to realize however, that skipping the holidays doesn’t make the feelings go away. I remember many times magicallly thinking and wishing that I could just go to sleep Thanksgiving Eve and wake up the day after New Years. The reality is that there is a way to survive the holidays with a plan. I don’t mean “plan” as in you needing to attend all festivities and events. I mean plan as in deciding how you will approach the holidays so that you are mentally and emotionally ready to face them. It is possible to create new memories, honor old traditions and approach each holiday with compassion for your own grieving heart. I say this often in mostly all of my Instagram posts.. “be kind to your grieving heart.”

We need to to graciously approach the hard moments with such tender care for our hearts. You’ll find your rhythm, your new norm and you’ll discover what works for you. I’d love to share some hopeful insights and gently suggestions to help guide you in this coming holiday season. You will find them on the “Hope for the Holidays” page on my website. Go check it out, as it’s a FREE download.

This Thanksgiving is our extended family’s first Thanksgiving dinner together since my mom died September 2019. It was quite a task getting the entire family together but every effort has been worth it. We will sit down at a dinner table together without my mom but there will be love and joy present. We will keep some traditions while creating new memories this holiday together. Even in grief we can give thanks to God for His faithfulness to our hearts and our lives. He has been the one sustaining us this whole time .

If you’re struggling this holiday season, be encouraged that you are not alone.

Insert moments of joy because your heart needs it. Make room for quiet time to regroup and breathe because your mind needs it. And ultimately remember reasons why you can be thankful .. Gratitude helps to un-anchor a hopeless heart.

May I suggest that you take look at my journal to find some tips on how to navigate through the holidays in healthy way? (go check it out!)

Self Care & Boundaries & Intentionality are all a part of healthy way to navigate and I expound more on them in my Hope for the Holidays Journal.

There is hope for the holidays♥️ I pray you discover it