Special Occasions

I used to be married to a guy who actively tried to ruin any occasion I was looking forward to. He routinely destroyed Christmas. He picked a fight with me in the car on the way to a class reunion. And at a cookout for my brother’s wedding he insisted no one could touch the grill but him…then he showed up to cook two hours late with fifty people at our house.

I got used to it, even expected it. I would like to encourage you to do the same with targeting. You know they work overtime devising ways to make your special days a misery. Do not give them the satisfaction!

Yes, people will forget. There will be fires to put out. There will be extra harassment around that day. Perhaps you will get sleep deprived or have more pain than usual. Perhaps all of the above.

But you choose how you react to it.

And how you react to it affects the relationships that are important to you. Extend grace everywhere! Lower your expectations. Choose gratitude for what is, and ask God to heal the pain of what is not.

There is joy there.