Holidays have been difficult for me, well since my Mother passed away, if you want to know the exact time they changed. She was just my everything and always brought a sparkle to Christmas even when I became an adult. I know that this time of year is hard for others too because I see it in their eyes. You know that slight look away at the time they are asked “what are you going to do for the holidays?” I took a big breath, looked away and made something up.

After a few years of trying to sleep from October through December to avoid them, I realized that it would be best if I did something other than choosing to be depressed when everyone else was “or so I thought” happy about them. One morning I woke up, put my feet on the floor and immediately decided something had to change and today was going to be the start of it.

You might want to know what this change was don’t you? It was a decision to “do something” to bring my Mother “into” the season rather than choosing to continue to be depressed and hurt because she wasn’t there to be with me.

I wrote several pages of the wonderful things that she did to make my holidays the best. Then I went about either doing something on that list for someone else or just doing it for myself. Each time I made a special effort to mention that it was something that my Mother did for me and hoped that they enjoyed the gift as much as I did when it was given to me. Just mentioning it and hearing her name brought her spirit alive and honored her in the moment. And now I was creating some pretty special moments for others and enjoying the sparkle of her essence at the same time.

So, if you have someone that you are missing in this holiday season, I challenge you to not hide under the covers but take the love that they gave you and sharing it forward.