The holidays always bring with them interesting family dynamics and semantics.
For some, it’s just simply dealing with the edges of uncomfortable scenarios and conversations, but nothing real out of the way.
No harm. No foul.
For others, it’s complete removal from the dysfunction and toxic environment which accompanies family, celebrations and traditions.
Survival of the Fittest or Crabs in a Barrel.
For most, it can just be learning to navigate between the two extremes.
The Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Wherever you find yourself during your yearly festivities, strive to do better.
Better yet, don’t just strive to survive.
Learn to thrive!
Your thriving isn’t going to look like another’s.
So, do what you can do to succeed.
Their crazies aren’t yours, and yours aren’t theirs.
They don’t have to understand.
Happy Crazy Holidays.
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
Psalm 92:12-15
Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider thatthe longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they doalso the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know thisbeforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
*I do not own or have rights to this pic. Google search/Fb repost*
You weren’t made to stay in the valley.
You weren’t made to remain stuck in the mire.
We all feel pain.
We all have heartache.
We all experience tragedy.
The brokenness of life was never meant to be a trophy we wear nor a badge we frame for the wall.
The hardship didn’t come for you to create a fortress around and hail the crisis as king.
We all feel the rain.
We all have tornadic seasons.
We all experience death, sorrow and grief.
You weren’t made to linger in the basin of despair.
You weren’t made to hover in canyon of defeat.
Look up. Cry for help. Claw your way out.
Write your survival guide and pass it along to the next to-be survivor.
Your destiny is waiting, and your little ones are watching.
Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: ‘I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.
Isaiah 45:1-4
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Are you drawing out the magic or the madness from me?
The answers to these questions should reveal truth and reality in a way that causes our hearts to long for perfection.
Too often, we are seeking comfort of sedation so much that we settle for chaos and pain.
If I am creating turmoil and injury for your heart, I need to change or leave to bring the calm.
If you are stirring turbulence and tumult for my soul, you need to halt or be removed to bring rest.
Too often, we search for a cease fire when we should be waging war or removing ourselves from the battleground.
Peace is more important than popularity.
Stability is more important than the spotlight.
Depart from evil and do good; Seekpeace and pursue it.
Psalm 34:14
Nevertheless the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. 6 You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever.
I’m not sure if there’s a statement that could be more true…
Well, I’m sure there are others, but this healing business is serious, and it’s needed by more than is realized.
When you are wounded, clarity is almost impossible to find.
When you are in pain, certainty can be so cloudy, so evasive.
You can be looking straight at the problem but never see the face staring back at you in the mirror.
You’re blinded by the agony, but you claim all is well.
You can speak with words, yet the emotions are lost within the anguish of grief.
It’s like trying to walk through a crowded room with your arm in a sling, hoping no one will bump it, all the while acting as if nothing is wrong, and the room is empty.
It borders on insanity.
Yet, every one of us stands with the accused.
Every one of us has lived in this ludicrosity.
Every one of us has chosen the absurd from time to time.
But if we can simply grasp the moment to receive healing,
If we can simply accept the bandage,
Embrace the cast,
Take hold of the remedy as if it’s a lifeline,
The vision we achieve will be amazing.
Then He [Jesus]said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.
Matthew 12:13
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
You say you love me, and my heart twists in a knot.
Butterflies fly and my head is light.
My mind wants to believe, but my heart has been deceived.
So, I pray your words are true while I doubt their veracity.
I find myself desperate for your affections, yet shielding my emotions.
I hear myself reply to your promises with longings of my own,
Yet, I don’t trust you to be faithful.
I don’t trust you to be true.
Why does my heart twist and turn and refuse to accept yours?
Why does my heart twist and turn your words to mean ill-will to mine?
Oh God, forgive my betrayal.
Please, forgive my unbelief.
You are my Creator, my Source, my eternal King.
You are the mender of my heart, untwist this vile thing.
Return me to my first love, and purify my soul to sing.
Penned – MG – 6/13/22
The heart isdeceitfulaboveallthings, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:9
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
My journey didn’t stop with mere time travel or writing; it led me to become one of the most sought-after empaths, a soulful psychic who reads the hidden depths of the human spirit. I’ve been blessed—or perhaps burdened—with an ability that allows me to feel the emotions of people from every corner of time.
I am a licensed psychologist based in Greece. My love for housekeeping has inspired me to create this blog about home management and family relationships. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing!
Dedicated to movie nerdom, nostalgia, and soul invigoration. In the late 90s, I worked at Blockbuster Video where they let me take home two free movies a day. I caught up on the classics and reviewed theatrical releases for Denver 'burbs newspapers and magazines. Today, while raising two young, beautiful daughters with my amazing wife, I look forward to anything rated R and not Bluey. Comments and dialogue encouraged!
