Not Sitting Home Alone This Christmas

Here's an inspiring note from a reader about surviving the holidays. I can't think of a better outlook and * truth that transforms * than what this "honey" of a widow had to say. Thanks for letting me share this Honey Bee!

Hello Ferree,

I have found it absolutely necessary for me to have a plan for Christmas. The first Christmas after David's death, I spent alone. We had no family. Not a good idea. Neither was sharing with other families. I felt like a fifth wheel, or a charity case, although folks meant well.

The next year I went to Nashville with a tour group and had a great time. The following year I went with a tour group to New Hampshire's White Mountains. Another fabulous time. Last year all I could find was New York City, so to NYC I went and had an amazing time. This year I'm booked to go to Frankenmuth, MI, a lovely Bavarian Village.

It doesn't matter where I go, as long as I'm not sitting home alone.

The bus tours work well for me. They do all the work and the planning. I just show up. Because I have had Stage 3 Cancer and then Congestive Heart Failure after my husband died, my strength is so limited, but I can still have a wonderful life, making new friends, getting "out there", and making sure I am constantly building community in my life "one conversation at a time".

This week one of the baristas at the Starbucks I frequent almost daily said, "You have an exciting life." Yes, I do. * God is good. He opens doors, and the more doors I walk through, the more doors seem to open. It's all documented in my stack of Gratitude Journals.*

I love the encouragement you provide here, Ferree. Yours was one of the first websites I discovered as a new widow. Thank you from my heart.

God bless you and all who visit here.
Honey Bee