EQ with Lou

This is for someone who is experiencing the same “holiday” as everyone else but differently.

Right now it’s 10:10 pm and “all through the house not a creature was stirring…”- most are familiar with the “Visit from St Nicholas” classic but it seems misleading to me. As a little girl, I believed the story was actually indicative of the anticipation that was supposed to come with the early morning. However, as a woman I’ve come to see it as a lot more and a little differently.

For many years I had worked as a registered nurse both day shift and night shift over the holiday tending to the needs of others & finding great fulfillment in doing so. This year though, it looks different in many ways. This year I’ve been given an opportunity to experience the SAME holiday in a different way & I’m grateful.

On the surface, one might confuse the present circumstances as sad, lonely, or otherwise but I consider it a great privilege & honor to have so many different experiences. What do I mean? I mean that historically I either worked, wrapped presents, or spent many a holiday with a large variety of people who invited both my son & I to share the day with them: from dinners, gift exchanges, to conversations reminding us that there is great hope, faith, & love and that it exists the same no matter how different it looks.

This holiday, I’m resting unapologetically. I’m at the refilling station of the place of me with my Heavenly Father. All throughout the year, I’ve been incredibly blessed. I’ve served & served with some amazing people. I’ve traveled, lived, & made some amazing memories along the way. I’ve learned, laughed, & cried as I changed & was privy to the process of the change of others’. I’ve sat in grace & fought hard. Now moving into the next day, I’m going with new experiences, strength, & hope. This year my vision was corrected & tonight, although the house is quiet and not a creature is stirring, I’m sure of this one thing; it’s a precious moment in time and I am on God’s mind.

Whatever your moment is looking like, I encourage you to look at it beyond what it looks like right now. Know this, it is an opportunity to observe gratitude. It is an opportunity to rest. It is an opportunity to see the gift we have in today EVEN when it might look a little different. It is an opportunity to remember the old, but trust that God is doing something new.

Merry Christmas to all of you!