Where's the Merry?

Last night I couldn't sleep.  I tossed and turned looking at the clock with eerie precision.  12:30. 1:30. 2:45. 4:45. Slowly closing the gap between sleep and the alarm.

My thoughts were consumed with Christmas.  With exam week, a funky schedule lies ahead and  I was feeling the crunch.  So much left to do.  Presents to buys, presents to wrap, etc..  And then my thoughts turned to Sandy Hook.

In a week, while Christmas music fills the air, we will be greeting each other with hugs, smiles and the exuberant MERRY CHRISTMAS! while Sandy Hook families will still be suffering.  Mothers and Fathers looking at presents under the tree that their children will never open.  At a time when we try so hard to be merry and bright and renew our faith, they will be struggling to see the light.

How do you find the Merry when so many people are in pain and massive attacks are on the rise?  How do we continue the 'norm' for our children when the reality 'here today, gone tomorrow' is so fresh in our minds?  We want to cherish every moment.  Fully. Completely.  With no regrets but how can we with such heavy hearts?

Christmas can be so misunderstood too.  You get caught up in the marketing aspect of it and pretty soon it IS about the gifts and not about 'sweet baby Jesus'.  Children compare their presents.  Some children ecstatic, some children disappointed because they didn't get exactly what they wanted or, a friend got the 'better' toy.  Do you give your child everything they ask for?  Do you hold back so that they can save money and buy something on their own?  How do you balance the true meaning and the retail meaning?

As most of our friends know, we are not regular church goers.  I take religion very personally and try very hard to enjoy the simplest pleasures that God has given us.  I have a quiet faith I guess you could say and I try to pass that along to my children.  At Christmas, we try to fill the season with traditions, family, food and friends and try to appreciate each other a little more.  Is that the true meaning?  Am I giving my kids enough of the true meaning?

As we reflect on this tragedy in Connecticut, we will all celebrate, whether we know it or not, a little bit differently this year.  We will take the true meaning of Christmas more seriously.  Whether that means going to more church services, saying more prayers throughout the day, hugging each other a little more often and a little tighter or, helping those in need.  We will continue to search for our purpose in life. What and how God wants us to live.  For some, this will be easy and for others, it will be a struggle but, we will all try a little harder.

Is this the true meaning?  Maybe, maybe not.  But it is something to think about.

I think I will ponder this a little more on the way to the mall. Not to flip back to the retail meaning so quickly but, for some reason, I DO feel the need to spoil my kids this year.  We are very fortunate to have each other and giving that love in the form of hugs AND with a few more boxes, doesn't feel like such a bad thing this year.

Beauty and the Beasts

I am a self-proclaimed winter wuss.  The bear in me wants to eat and sleep until the sun comes out and the temps reach the mid 60s.  As a result, mornings with heavy frosts make it especially hard to get motivated.  My cure?  Coffee and a hot….golf tourn?

Yes, a golf tournament.  Yesterday, I turned on the Golf Channel to get my daily Morning Drive fix only to find the recorded, first round of the Australian PGA.  As the frost lingered outside, I was being transported to a piece of paradise.  Bright blue skies, warm sun, lush fairways began to warm my core.  Cameras panned back only to expose the beautiful, hilly landscape that is Coolum, the Sunshine Coast.

But warm conditions and lush landscapes are nothing new to golf.   Some courses are obviously more beautiful than others, but each course offers subtle differences that help separate it from courses around the globe.  In the case of Coolum, it was the ‘moving landscape’ that caught my eye.  The kangaroos.

I live in an area where deer are rampant and it is not unusual to see several during a round at any given course.  But, how awesome would it be to see a mother with a joey sitting in her pouch?  That is exactly what one cameraman caught during the telecast.

This morning, the frost looked like a dusting of snow.  Again, I searched for my visual warmth and turned on the Golf Channel to find live, second round coverage of the Alfred Dunhill Championship in Malelane, South Africa.  As predicted, beautiful, lush, warm landscape with a little something extra.  While players contemplated yardage and club selection, rhinos, zebras and giraffes frolicked in the distance. And I’m starting to think the Golf Channel should change their name to Golf Planet.  Only on Animal planet could you see more animals in their natural habitat.

Now, I realize that this may not be as cool to some people as it is to me.  But I want to thank the cameramen and crew who obviously enjoy the beauty of their surroundings and allow us to be a part of it.  And for this stay at home mom, who loves to travel, it is very much appreciated.

The coffee is now gone.  The frost still lingers.  I may not be motivated to go outside quite yet, but at least I was motivated to write.  I did ask a friend playing in the Australian PGA to snag a kangaroo for me.  Do you think he will have trouble in customs?