The Morning After

Good Monday Mourning!

Well today is the day after Valentines Day. I pray you found an opportunity to express love to those near and dear to you and that you received love from others. I had the opportunity to love some folks at church yesterday and that was fun. Good for the heart! I received lots of candy kisses and cards and even a few hugs. They were all wonderful and needed and I received them with gladness.
AND.... I prayed nearly every moment of the day that I would just make it through the day without crying. I made it through dry-eyed and no worse for wear. I am grateful that there are no more holidays centered around romance and love for many, many months. Perhaps I will be able to catch my breath and get back to some kind of emotional equalibrium now that the holidays are behind us.
I am grateful for family and friends who care for me. I am grateful for the time together; for laughter and presents and good health for all those I love. I am also grateful for "the morning after".- no more commercials about flowers and candy and romance. No more sentimental music and hype that only leads to dashed expectations and magnified loneliness. YEAH! I am quite able to handle this grieving thing with a healthy level of happiness and acceptance as long as the holidays don't push my buttons and provoke thoughts and feelings that are not helpful to my overall emotional stability.
I realized I had reached my limit when last night I screamed at my TV, "knock it off!" when they showed another valentine commercial at 10:30 in the evening. If the guy hasn't gotton Valentines Day taken care of by that hour he's not going to. No point in rubbing it in!
Well... enough of that. It is officially "the morning after". Hallelujah! The next holiday on my radar is Easter and that truly is a holy-day. I get my whole heart around that one! I'm looking for good days ahead. How about you?

Hang in there,

Pastor Karen