My favorite holiday!
When I was little my favorite part was all the family time. I just remember so much laughter and joy filling every inch of any house we entered. Simply beautiful!
This year there was no snow and hardly any chill but the laughter was plenty as expected.
This year I also got to share my Family Christmas with my wonderful boyfriend, Joel. This was his first Watson Family Christmas and he had a blast! (Which anyone would... we're super fun people!) Words cannot express what it meant to have him in the room laughing and sharing that day with me and my family. It was very special. I am so very blessed to have such a loving and supportive family!
Everyone really enjoyed themselves and it was so fantastic to catch up with my sisters. We all live so far away it's tough to be in the same house at the same time. So this was wonderful.
Christmas Eve my parents and I took my mom's mother to see a movie (also on Christmas Day). She was thrilled! The Christmas Eve movie was in 3D so it really made her day! I hadn't seen her with that big of a smile in a while.
I love making people smile!
Christmas Day was mostly for Ma'ma (my momma's mother) when she arrived at our house. She was loaded up on more presents then she knew what to do with. I saw her turn into a little kid again. It was funny. Then once again we loaded up the car and headed to a movie!
Sadly I had to head back to my apartment the next day for work.
But the week I got to spend with my family was so incredibly special! I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. My family may be loud and a bit overwhelming but they are mine. I love each and everyone of them more than I could even begin to express. No matter how mad they make me or how deep a wound may go they are still my family. They will always be there and they will always love me. Even the new members of this ever growing family! And I can't wait to watch it grow bigger and bigger with weddings and births and so much more love and laughter! For that's the foundation of a Watson... Love & Laughter!
As we begin to say our good byes to 2013 let's try a new concept...
How about focusing on everything that God has given us this year instead of dwelling on the hard times that have been thrown in our direction.
My oldest sister and her family do something I find very cool!... All year when something wonderful happens they write it on a piece of paper and put it in their "Blessings" jar in the kitchen. Then at the end of the year to start off the coming year they read off those blessings and remember all the good times that the year had given.
Too often we get dragged down by all the negative aspects of life:
By the cold
The failures
The let downs
The heart aches
The loses...
But remember the positives today and tomorrow:
The rewards
Those who lifted you up
The songs, quotes, or moments that mended your heartache
The births
Yeah... Life can really suck sometimes. But when you go back and remember all that God has blessed you with life doesn't seem so bad. Suddenly those dark low hanging clouds seem to disperse and the sun shines brighter than EVER!
"LORD, You will establish peace for us, For You have also done all our works in us." Isaiah 26:12
"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Romans 8:37
He gives us peace... We are more than conquerors...
With those words I wish each and every one of you many blessings and a very Happy New Year!
I believe Phantom of the Opera touched on a very interesting topic in their song Masquerade. The idea that everyone wears a mask. Everyone is trying to hide from the world. I even love the line in the song, "You can fool any friend who ever knew you." It's all too true. To make it worse everywhere we look there is another element advertising a way to hide yourself from the world; whether it be technology, makeup, or reality tv.
Welcome to the world... Welcome to the Masquerade.
No person can go through this life and not face a problem. No person can go through this world and not shake the hand of an enemy. But who will that enemy be? A friend, a coworker, a family member, or a neighbor... or is that enemy yourself? Simply take a step into the light, take a look into the mirror, lift the mask, and tell me who you see.
Who is your heart leaning towards as you read this post right now? Who do you know that is being fake at this moment? Who do you know that is wearing a mask?
That's the trick question because no one has one answer... no one has a perfect answer.
Every person that has ever taken a breath in this world has been taught to join the masquerade, enjoy the party, and allow the world to bask in the beauty of your mask!
We are all at fault.
When does the masquerade end?
That is the interesting question. When will the masks come off and the unique individuals show themselves without criticism?
If you have yet to see Phantom of the Opera I highly recommend it. Maybe we could all learn a lesson on being an individual, being less fake, and simply taking off the mask... allowing the Masquerade end.
