What brings comfort and joy to your life?

It seems with the holidays people are caught up in christmas lists, cookies, parties, and STRESS. Yes, what's a major holiday without stress? Ok maybe it's a bit negative. It always turns out great though right? The good things, the turkey disasters, whatever...it's all memories.

The holidays also give me time to reflect.  It makes me very grateful that I do have so many blessings in my life.  While I may not be rich my family has a decent roof over their heads, a comfortable bed to sleep in, food in the cupboards, and we can pay the bills every month.  My children are healthy, happy, and active.  I have a loving husband and we have a lot in common.  I have a job, which in this economy isn't a given to all.  We can't get everything the boys want on their list for Christmas but we can get them a few things and they're always happy with what they get.

I know for a lot of you reading this, you're shaking your heads saying I have that, I can do that, etc.  The sad truth is that not everyone can say those things.  While it is upsetting at times to hear about families in need it brings comfort to me to include my family in charities for the holidays.  My boys and I pick a day to go "Toys for Tots" shopping.  They help pick out one toy for a boy, a girl, and a baby to donate to Toys for Tots.  I use this time almost every year to remind them of what christmas is really about.  I remind them how lucky they are to have what they have.  Make sure they understand that they should appreciate what they have.  This shopping trip has become a tradition for us.  While we can't spend a lot of money on the trip it is comforting to me to know we helped in some small way.  I feel that these trips will carry over as my kids get older.

There are so many ways to help around the holidays. I had a stranger make a small gesture that still sticks with me today.  I was going through a very had time in my life at one point.  My 2 oldest boys were just babies.  I was about to go through a divorce.  Our financial situation at the time was stressful.  I just felt like a black cloud was following me around. I had gone to walmart.  I bought a few things with what little bit of cash I had.  I had the two babies in the cart.  I stepped out of walmart only to find it was pouring down rain and cold. (Maybe a black cloud really was following me around)  I hurried to my car with the cart.  I was trying to quickly get the babies in the car.  A middle age man came walking toward me quickly.  I'm embarrassed to say I was weary of him.  I wasn't sure why he was coming toward me. He opened up an umbrella and held it over me until I got the babies in the car and continued to until I got all the groceries in the trunk.  AND THEN he took the cart and told me he'd put it away.  I thanked him but he'll probably never know how much that meant to me.  A moment of caring and warmth in a hard time in my life. 

My situation has improved significantly since that moment.  I'm crying as I write this.  I even find comfort in the fact that I had gone through that situation in my life.  I think it makes me appreciate what I have now even more. 

There are so many ways to bring comfort and joy to someone.  Reflect on your blessing and take a moment to be thankful for what you have.  I'd love to hear what you are thankful for this holiday season!

Kleenex has the Softness Worth Sharing site: http://kleenex.com/softnessworthsharing
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I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Kleenex blogging program, making me eligible to get a $40 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.


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