December – Beginning and End

Yes, December is here…The beginning of a new month and the end of a year.

I can’t believe that we will soon be celebrating 2016…this year has gone by so very fast for me.

But first, we celebrate the Beginning…the reason we celebrate Christmas at all…Yes…the Birth of Christ.

Now, I know there are those out there who may become offended with this post, but I also need you to know that I am not ashamed of my being Christian.  And I do not Begrudge anyone, anywhere, their right to believe as they wish.

I Think we all need to understand that we can get along together, we can all have different thoughts, dreams, feelings, religious practices, and be from different countries, and still have peaceful dealings with one another.

So with that said…I’m going to go on about Christmas for myself and my family.

As I stated in a previous post, My Mom made the Holidays very special. I’ve tried to keep some of the traditions going.   We have one I started that, though my children are grown…they still love doing it…let me explain….

I have some dear friends, who gave me a Nativity set…now this is no ordinary Nativity set…My friends Husband takes many trips to the Holy Land on business…and many years ago, he took the time to find pieces to fit into a Nativity that was made from the olive wood in Jerusalem.  He was not able to find all the pieces in one place, and they are all hand carved.

This is a beautiful Nativity, and when we got it, I was delighted.  It has so much meaning to us, and fills our family with Love, each time we look at it.  I will be putting it up today, so unfortunately, I have no pictures of it yet.

I started something when my children were young…when I put up the Nativity, I leave out the Baby Jesus….What?  You might say….but I do this for a reason…so they will anticipate and reflect on the meaning of this wonderful season.

I have cut up bits of raffia, and some thin gold ribbon, these represent the straw that lined the manger…now…the straw does not get to be placed in the manger all at once…no…it has to be earned.

I told my children that to make a nice, soft bed for the Baby Jesus…we had to put straw in the manger, and the only way we could do it, was to do something good for one another.  We could not tell the other person that we did it, and someone else would have to notice the good deed, or the person the good deed was done to, would notice and then was able to put a piece of straw in the manger.  Well…needles to say, this time of year is my favorite in our house, because it seems our home is transformed…such a good feeling, and always something special happening…a note to say I Love You, or dishes being done without being told to, or giving up something you really like so someone else can have it.

Baby Jesus has always had a soft bed to sleep in, and the Love is shown ten-fold this time of year.

And all because of the Gift of the Baby Jesus…

Now I know that Christmas is a time of celebration, and yes there are Christmas Trees, Decorations, Gifts, Parties, and Jolly old St. Nicholas…And we all enjoy the festivities, Baking, Giving!

But Remember St. Nicholas was a man who brought gifts to those in need, and the Presents we give, represent the gifts given to the Christ Child by the Wise Men. Placing a  Christmas Star or Angel on the tree, represents the Angels coming to the Shepherds, and the Star that led everyone to the Baby Jesus.

 

So….no matter how you Celebrate, this time of year, Remember to be Peaceful and kind to one another, Bring Joy to others, and above all Love your Neighbor…whoever, and wherever you may be.

My hope for the end of this year, is that there will be Peace on Earth.  That we can all find a way to be kind and Loving to one another, and co-exist on this wonderful planet God Gave us.

A special Thanks to all those around the world who give their time in the military…to defend the lands they call home…May they all know Peace this Christmas!

Thanks For Hearing!

Sincerely;

Bea Heard

De-Stressing

Today…I’m pretty much just winging it.  Had no real plan for a blog post, it just came to me as I was doing my thing, and trying to De-Stress.  I just thought I’d share a couple of the ways I calm myself down.

The above image tells it all…I’m using it because that represents Cooking for me.  I love to cook, bake, just about anything culinary.  And when I’m stressed, I cook.

I also love to Read, Knit, Crochet, do all manner of crafty things…

Just a few items from my pile of things I’ve knit and crocheted in the past week…need to have a craft sale.

 Love to read!

Of course a cup of coffee or tea can’t hurt the process.

         

My all time favorite…HUGS!!!

We can learn something from a bear hug.

Hugs have been hard for me to do…even with my family…I know they would never hurt me, but my body did not want people too close.  I’ve come to be able to give and get hugs though…I’ve missed it, and doing it over and over, even when I don’t feel safe doing so (with the people I know love me that is), has helped…again…my Therapist was right!

But I can’t always get the last one (Hugs)…either my family and friends are not around when I could use one, or the people on the street won’t cooperate…Ha!Ha! Not only will they not cooperate…I usually don’t have the ability to go outside my cave. (due to PTSD)

Not going outside my four walls leaves the other things that I would like to do to de-stress, out of the picture…like…taking a walk, riding a bike, hiking, camping, or just sitting on the beach and watching the waves…

   another thing that keeps me from doing this one is…I DON’T LIVE BY THE BEACH ANYMORE!   So sad for me, because the water was always so very soothing.  So I just have to put on meditation music, the ones that have waves in it, and let that be enough.   I was able to find a nice thing on Netflix, it was called Moving Art, and it was oceans…yeah!!!  Almost like being there…and I watch it while I am riding my stationary bike.

Well…we all do what we must to cope.

Now I know that the things I do, may not appeal to some of you, but I have found solace in writing this blog, and keeping a journal, along with trying to write down my experiences (some of those cause stress).

I like aroma-therapy, music, comedies, etc., and they all help for a while…but we all know…those of us living with any form of stress or P.T.S.D., that it is only a temporary fix…we all need to get the help we need to deal with the underlying problems, before our ways of coping…just don’t work anymore.

I’m putting an image of something I found online about how to deal with stress…maybe some of it will help give you an idea on what to do in your life to keep the stress bug away.

My suggestion…just do the things that make you happy!!!

I hope my little tidbits can help someone, or give someone an idea on how to de-stress in your daily life.

Thanks again for Hearing!

Sincerely;

Bea Heard