Transitions
It’s a Wonderful Life
This Christmas season is different than any other I’ve ever experienced. As Barb and I laid a Christmas wreath on Dad’s grave (he loved wreaths), I was struck with how I was having trouble “getting into” the holiday mood. I realized that Barb and I are in a place we’ve never been this time of year. And, ’tis “season of transition” for us…
Our Christmas seasons have for the past 25 years centered around our kids and my parents. Barb’s family is large and although we get together, they were a further distance away and my parents were closer, especially the past 10 years as they lived in the same town. Even when our kids were in college, they would be home for 3-4 weeks during December to help us get decorations up, shop for gifts, and make lots of food. We’d help my parents with their home and we’d always share Christmas Day together.
This will be the third Christmas without Dad. My mom has dementia and isn’t living with us any longer. She doesn’t really know what the holiday is anymore. My kids are back in Ohio and will be home, but for much less time due to work responsibilities. It’s a good thing Barb and I like being together!
Life is about transitions and we are in one. We can choose to either be depressed about it, or find new traditions and ways to celebrate. Tonight, we just bought Christmas with the Kranks and figure that movie fits our situation just right. This will be added to our personal, new tradition!
Your business, your professional career, and your personal life will also go through transitions. In fact, a transition will occur in just a few weeks with a new year, new challenges, and new opportunities. Your attitude and how you choose to deal with all of those will determine not only your success, but your spirit and mindset. I encourage you to find ways to add new “traditions” to whatever transition you find yourself going through in 2014. Most transitions have a little bit (or in some cases a lot) of pain. But pain is only a temporary speed bump in life and one that you just have to hold tight and get over fast, because all the better stuff is straight ahead!
© 2013 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
This week’s quote –
“Forget the past.”
~ Nelson Mandela
Transitions are not always easy and some times they last a long time. Christmas is one of those transitions that goes on and on and is never the same from one year to the next. My parents have been gone for a while now and I still want to be with them on Christmas they always made Christmas special because it meant a lot to them. My Grandmother who I never meet died on Christmas Eve, so my Aunts and Uncles got together as family on Christmas. So now it our turn to make Christmas special our family and friends. The transition never ends but I am thankful for the memories of the past and what we can help create for the future. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Hi Dave. Thanks for your comment. I enjoyed you sharing that about your family. Merry Christmas to you, too!