I Am Always Grateful.
(Revamped from my annual Christmas letter for the blog, since I’m too tired to write anything new today):
Christmas came upon me like a freight train. We were late getting our tree. And I wasn’t even sure if I should write a Christmas letter. Some of my friends and family members have “unfriended” me due to my presidential preference, and others have moved and not sent me their new addresses.
So I wasn’t quite sure what to do about the whole Christmas-letter-palooza. But then I remembered: I used to be in a pretty bad place. At one point, I lived in a deplorable hotel with one twin bed (for four people) and a smelly room with a toilet but no door. But I lived in a squalor of my own making. Thanks to (I believe) a loving upbringing, a benevolent God and the power of prayer, I clawed my way to a semblance of normalcy.
And now, 25 years later, my life is – if nothing else – comfortable. With much thanks to my husband – who just came home from work trilling, “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” – I have a real home and family. Sure, Bill and the kids drive me crazy, but I still go to bed feeling grateful. Sometimes I am scared, but I am always grateful.
I hope that you, too, will have lots of love and gratitude this holiday season. Have a glorious season!