“Nothing is so strong as gentleness. Nothing is so gentle as real strength.”
—St. Francis de Sales—

When my son was in the fourth grade, his teacher told him, “Life’s tough. Get a helmet.” At the time I agreed. Life is tough, and we have to muscle through it, especially the tough times. That’s how I was raised—to get ‘er done no matter what. To a certain degree, I believe this to be true. In hard times, the strong get stronger. You have to in order to make it.

Children are to be seen and not heard.
I can’t tell you how many times I heard that from my father when I was growing up.
I really never bought into it, but you can bet I immediately
shrank into the woodwork when he said it.
I knew, in no uncertain terms, that he meant to be quiet and behave,
and that meant now!
I also knew that if I didn’t, I would be the one on the losing end.

I had the pleasure of going to church with my friends in Florence, S.C. It was a beautiful Episcopal church built in 1864 with a conservative, formal service laced with all the pomp and circumstance. However, the scenery across the isle from me was far from pretty.

Enter a very nice-looking family; the mother, father and two little girls dressed in monogrammed matching “sister” dresses. They looked adorable until the little one’s head spun around a full 360˚. That’s when I reached for my pew seatbelt—you know the one that restrains judgment on others—and settled in for the show. I don’t like horror shows, but this one unfolded right before my eyes.

“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year”
—Charles Dickens—

I know January is supposed to be the month to rejuvenate and start anew, but why not go ahead and make it happen in December. That way you can rid yourself of any Bah Humbug and soak in the pure magic of the holiday season. Impossible, you think, with all the hustle and bustle with a mask on top? Yes. Very possible.

One of my all-time favorite philosophies is change your attitude, change your world, and there’s no better time than the holidays to start. Everyone’s “world” is shaped almost wholly by what she or he focuses on, and focus is made up of attitude, actions and reactions. In other words, you can train yourself to not automatically think negative! When you do, your life will lighten up and become more positive and happier. As an added bonus, your anger and frustration will soften and diminish. Isn’t that reason enough to start now?

The key to an extra special holiday season is based on two things: Attitude and effort. Did you just say Bah Humbug? Well, it’s true. Like I said in the first article back on page 10, what you get out of something is equivalent to what you put into it. I have had Christmases when just getting out the holiday dish towel practically did me in. But not this year. Coronavirus is the Grinch of 2020, and I refuse to let it steal my holidays. With that, I’m getting on the roof to help Clark Griswold light up the neighborhood—watch out property owners association!

Is it possible to be sick of convenience? Can’t anything be challenging anymore? Some things need to be convenient, like breakfast on a Monday morning, but giving thanks and celebrating the Lord’s birthday? Not so much. Nor should decorating and shopping for the people you love the most—your friends and family.

“Things are never quite as scary when you have a best friend.”
—Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbs—

I remember being at Girl Scout camp, sitting around the fire and singing, “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.” I didn’t really understand the magnitude of that song, because quite frankly, in the 5th grade or so, most friends are still fairly new. In thinking back to my formative years, I thrived on friendships, and never stopped.

To quote the Beatles, “I get by with a little help from my friends.” I’m social. Covid-19 has revealed that point to me loud and clear: I’m not a loner; I’m not quiet; I’m not an introvert; I’m not a homebody; I’m not even a lone wolf, unless I’m writing. In other words, I like being with people, especially my friends and family.