sum kinda ~ wonder

I love the quote from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens where Ebenezer Scrooge says, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” 

I am one of those people who wish everyone a “Merry Christmas”. It is my experience that no one minds my words of cheer written in every card to close friends, colleagues, and clients and posted unapologetically as my facebook banner.  These few wonderful December days are the Christmas Season and a time when everyone gets a few days off to celebrate Happy Holidays!  It is our North American tradition to haul in a tree from out of doors and decorate it (isn’t that a funny thing to do?), buy presents for the people we love, hang stockings by the fireplace with care, play Christmas music till we’re sick of it, eat way too much good food like Turkey and sweets, we give EVERYONE (yes those who celebrate and those who don’t!) time off work, we attend Christmas concerts, and parties and some of us go to church.  

It is not nothing….it swells with importance, excitement, and awe!….Christmas is a day most of us hold dear and near whether we believe or not. I’m not alone in holding this day in my heart as a day of faith as well.   I am not offended if someone wishes me “season’s greetings” or “happy holidays” because it all means the same thing to me.

Treasure every special moment spent together with loved ones in celebration of some kind of wonderful.   Honor it in your heart and keep it all the year too.  Merry Christmas to you!

we now have heard the words you heard

as your sorrow filled days grew worse

we feel the torment of the insidious lies

that became your private curse

we loathe the morbid consequence

of your life now  lost in vain

it jars our moral consciousness

that we were oblivious to your pain

we question the place we’ve created

the world where our children grow

where demoralizing  a person to death

is the truth  they now may know

forgive us for not noticing

forgive us for ignoring the signs

forgive us for being too late

forgive us for closing our eyes

~Janice Mae Clarke, October 2012

in remembrance of Amanda Todd

At moments like these you must know yourself.  No one prepared me for being the mother of a teenager.  Wasn’t it just yesterday she looked up at me and thought I was simply amazing? Mimicking me was the daily compliment that delighted my soul. Now I see her trying desperately not to be anything like me.  My mini me doesn’t want to be like me!  God forbid!  All the other people are more interesting, more open minded, more free, more like she wants to be. 

I believe in people…..you’re awesome, you’re unique, God’s creation,  and you have so much potential. I believe in being the best you…the most wonderful you.  I write, I work full time, I raise and love my girls.   I have pretty good self esteem but when she looks at me… like that… self doubt creeps in. So Mama bear are you really some kind of wonderful after all? Well….. yes, I am.  Yes, you bet your bottom dollar I am!  I think one day she’ll know it too.  Right?