A seasonal song we hear this time of year states:

🎶 “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” 🎶

However, for many people it is anything but that type of experience. Illness, separation of families, upcoming surgery, estranged children – the list can go on and on. Somehow all the mall decorations, happy songs, and office parties can’t put a pretty bow on individual realities.

For me, the saddest situations are the families that have drifted apart for a variety of reasons. These include grown children who stay away from parents, siblings who have little to no interaction, grandchildren kept away from grandparents because of past disagreements or long-held bitterness.

It reminds me of the story of the prodigal son in the Bible. That account has a happy ending though, because the son who left his family and wasted his inheritance finally realized the error of his ways. He returned home to a father who was still waiting and hoping for his return. A family was reunited.

The reason for this post and its title is to encourage those who are living similar situations to consider mending them during this holiday season. Someone has to be the first to initiate a conversation or a get-together that might cause the healing and restoration of a relationship. We are not promised tomorrow for ourselves or others. Regret is a heavy burden to bear. Please consider being the bigger person, the peace-maker during the days ahead. It just might be your best gift of all this year.

Merry Christmas and God bless – Sue