Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

That Lonely Feeling

I’ve always had this vision, this big dream, of how the holidays would be when I was grown.

Me cooking a big meal.
A table beautifully sat.
Lots of family.
Friends sprinkled in.
A gaggle of cousins.
A house full of laughter.
An entire evening of fellowship and love.

Life doesn’t always go the way we dreamed of as a child, does it?  I have a confession:  sometimes I feel lonely during the holidays.  It’s something I don’t often talk about at all because it makes me feel guilty.  Why do I feel guilty?  Because I have a husband and two kids to spend the holidays with, not to mention two amazing parents.  Still, the loneliness is there.

When I was a child, holidays were spent with family.  Thanksgiving at my grandparents, Christmas Eve at my aunt and uncles and Christmas Day at my grandparents.  I loved it, I soaked in every single moment of being surrounded by laughter, love and the feeling of belonging.  Do you remember the days when after the holidays you would go to your families house and they would show you what they got for Christmas?  I know, I loved that!

Once I got married, the family we spent the holidays with doubled.  Sometimes holidays even meant visiting two or three different houses in one day.  I have to admit, I loved it.

Maybe more than loneliness, its’ a heart craving. A craving and desire to have things the way they used to be. I have this desire to hostess, to show hospitality by making my house warm and welcome and to show my love and thankfulness through the food I cook.
Throughout the years, the seasons of life have changed.  Between people passing away, children growing up and moving out and just life changing we’ve been left spending holidays among our little family.  Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve are spent at home.

It’s certainly not how I envisioned my life.

But, what I’ve realized throughout this, the holidays are not about me and my feelings.  The season is about Him. Thinking of Jesus’ humble, magnificent, unimaginably difficult, astonishing birth stills my heart during the Christmas Season. It helps me to align my heart with joy.

This holiday season when I feel the familiar pangs of sadness and loneliness creep over me, I will look up and focus my eyes on Him.  I will be reminded that what I have is enough.  I will remember that He IS the most important element in my life.  He brings TRUE peace, joy, and celebration in the midst of this season.  He is the TRUE reason for the season.

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Meal Planning Monday

Monday – mississippi roast, mashed potatoes and peach cobbler for dessert

Tuesday – chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles and homemade bread

Wednesday – chicken stuffed shells, a family fav

Thursday – creamy chicken and rice casserole and pumpkin bread for dessert

Friday – chili and cornbread with honey butter

Saturday – pierogie casserole

Sunday – heading to an afternoon sesh after church, so just grabbing something on the way

[jetpack-related-posts]

Why Diets Don’t Work {Book Review}

Why Diets Don’t Work
Food Is Not The Problem
By Joyce Tilney
The book description:

This is not another diet plan, it is a battle plan! There is an epidemic in America today and it is obesity. How do we stop this? When we see the truth from God’s Word. Food is not the problem. Like Eve we have been given a free will to make choices for ourselves. After spending years in the struggle of weight issue, this book shares how Joyce overcame the shame and anger of the battle of the bulge. There is a power greater than your taste buds! You don’t have to be held captive in your body. Why Diet’s Don’t work goes to the core of the problem.

 Oh, how my heart needed this book.  You know those little “God moments” I’ve talked about before?  Yeah, this book brought a big one.

The very first sentence of the book…the devil wants you fat.  I know, right?  How powerful is that?  At least it was for me.  I’ve read that sentence time after time and wondered how I never saw that before.  As I worked my way through the first chapter of the book, I realized this was going to be a life-changer.  So I grabbed a pen and a highlighter and went back to the beginning.  Notes, underlining and highlighting fill this book.  So so so so many AMAZING points.  Once I started reading it, I could hardly put it down. I ended up bookmarking nearly every other page since so much of what I read agreed with my spirit.

This book would be a great read if you’ve had a similar struggle to mine.  Actually, this book is a great read for every woman.  So many points that I never would have thought of on my own.
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookCrash.com book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review.  The opinions i have expressed are my own.
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