A review of our year in pictures.
Print Shoppe // Freebie
I’m so excited to announce a few new additions to my blog, a Print Shoppe and Freebies! I have been pouring over these designs for weeks now and am in love with each and every one. To go to the Print Shoppe, just click on the link above.
The prints are all 8×10 size, and come in a jpeg and PDF. I recommend printing the pages using a high quality printer, such as a laser jet or commercial printer, at your local office supply store or printing service for best results and assistance.
My hope is to share a free printable each month, in addition to the prints you can purchase. I’d love to do this as a way to thank my loyal readers. To download the free printable, just click on the button that says “Get Free Download” and follow the instructions. When you’re prompted to enter a fair price, just enter 0. Easy peasy! You’ll be able to download both files from the next screen.
I hope you enjoy these prints as much as I have enjoyed creating them!
That Lonely Feeling
I’ve always had this vision, this big dream, of how the holidays would be when I was grown.
I would cook a big meal and place it on a perfect, beautifully set table. The table would be surrounded by family with friends sprinkled in. I would have a house full of laughter and an evening full 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 at my parents, Christmas Eve at home (with my husband normally working until 8 pm), Christmas Day at my parents and New Years Eve 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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