How in the world is November halfway done already?!

For some parents, the holiday season is a long awaited time of blissful nostalgia with some additional social engagements and a touch of extra stress.

For others, there’s deep grief to process, twisted family dynamics and stressful obligations to navigate, mixed with a longing to serve others well and pressure to conjure up magical memories for our kids.

It’s…well, it’s a lot.

My wish for you is that you would take your own wants and needs seriously this season. What do you want? What do you need?

As I reflect on my own intentions for this season, I am thinking about a powerful experience I had recently.

In October I attended a retreat for spiritual leaders focused on the topic of lament: a fancy word for grieving to God. It was a special weekend of holding space for each other but there was one moment that stands out. We were gathered in a circle.

The group from the retreat. We prayed the Psalms and practiced the sacred art of whining to God.

One young leader was sharing about how incredibly lonely this season was for him. His father had recently died, and he was tasked with guiding his community through this holidays while carrying a profound sense of his own loneliness and loss.

The group was silent as he openly wept. After a pause, the facilitator asked an older man in the group if he had any words of wisdom for the young man.

This seasoned leader looked down.

“I don’t have any words. But I have a hug.”

He stood up to his full six-and-a-half foot height and walked across the circle to gather this younger man into his arms.

The whole circle witnessed the tender embrace between two people who barely knew each other with awe. For some reason the facilitator turned to me next, asking, “What do you make of all this, Mary?”

My answer: “If only we could remember how easy it is. We don’t need the perfect words. We only have to be willing to offer others our awkward but generous embrace.”

May you remember that your presence is likely more than enough to boost someone’s hope.

Hope is a community project.

It’s hard to hold hope on behalf of ourselves especially when our kid seems to be an outlier. We need others. Let it be a collective effort this season. Call in your people!

This is the sentiment I am carrying into this season of busyness.

Saying less, planning less, and just intentionally being present — for myself, my family and friends – fully showing up for the grief and the joy of the season.

In that spirit, here are some journal prompts you can use to prepare for the upcoming season, whatever it holds for you and your loved ones.

These prompts pair really nicely with a series of affirmations for accessing peace, ease and connection. I'll be sharing those for FREE in December -- be on the lookout!

JOURNAL PROMPTS:

What three feeling words describe how you want this season to feel emotionally?
What activities, foods, people and traditions most help cultivate those feelings?
What are some things you can do daily or weekly to help cultivate those feelings?
What (or who) do you anticipate getting in the way of doing the things you listed above?
What conversations can you have now to communicate your wishes?

Wishing you a present holiday season with your loved ones, and rooting for you always,
Mary

P.S. Have some grieving to do? Here’s my Permission to Cry playlist – may it help you feel your feelings.

P.P.S. We have some exciting things coming! My Black Friday/Cyber Monday 20% off sale starts next week. PLUS my 12 Days of Holiday Affirmations – a FREE gift to you - begins in December.