Surviving the Holidays

From Thanksgiving to Christmas, how many times were you asked, “Are you ready for the holidays?” I was dreading the days between November 16 (Dad’s birthday) and Christmas because of all the “firsts.” First birthday without dad; first Thanksgiving and Christmas without Dad and Bobby. I kept remembering that last year at this time, we had spent several weekends in a row with Bobby and Ali while he was in treatment in Reno. We had hope!
I pictured “the holidays” like a raging river that I had to cross. The water was treacherous, dark and muddy. However, after the first of the year, I looked back and realized that the river was really a gentle flowing stream. God had placed rocks strategically in the stream for me to use to cross. Here I was, safely on the other side; the raging river was gone.