For Those Whose Christmas Joy Comes with Sadness and Suffering
For many of us, Christmas can bring a bout of the blues. It's just an emotional phenomenon that descends and lingers, sometimes smothering the joy of the Season. For all of you who suffer these Christmas blues, we send prayers of encouragement. I know it's hard to try not to neglect this Christmas Season in the midst of your sadness, but do try.
Many of us are suffering: disease, serious injury, disabilities, extreme emotional turmoil. We haven't forgotten you. We suffer as well,
Our dearest eldest son had a massive brain aneurysm in the days before Christmas. It was about as bad as it gets, but his wife acted quickly and he was able to get to a good hospital in time to have measures taken, including complex surgery, to try to save him. 30% of people who suffer this injury never make it to the hospital.
The doctors called his surgery a "Hail Mary." The news was all bad. At the time of this writing, he lies in an coma. We don't know if he'll survive. We go day to day. Even if he does survive, he'll have many hurdles to over come - the nature of which we simply don't know now.
And so this Christmas Season, we make the trip to Intensive Care every day, and watch and pray. If there's any change by the time you read this, I'll try to post an update. For now, please pray for him, his wife, and his 19 month-old daughter. While the sorrow and suffering of my wife and I, and his four brother, is immeasurable, we can't help but think constantly of what his wife is going through.
And so, really for the first time in my life, I truly appreciate those who suffer during the Christmas Season.
Through it all, I struggle to remain recollected and remember the Nativity of Our Lord. He came to us as a baby, a mere child. Our Lord tells us we must come come to Him as a child with a spirit of simplicity. I'm doing my best this Christmas Season to do just that.
While it's difficult, I try to look in a peaceful, hopeful spirit, at the Baby Jesus lying in the manger. You see God, Almighty God, as a Child. If God can present Himself to us in this fashion, as a Child, then surely we can present ourselves to Him as a child as well. Just follow His example.
I will try, as should we all, to be, like Him, a child. To come to Him in all our labors throughout the year, in all our sorrows, sufferings, in our temptations. To always pray to Him for the graces we need; to trust in Him, that He will provide us with all we need. That little child, that Baby Jesus, that Little Child of Bethlehem will provide all we need.
Please pray for us and all who are suffering this Christmas Season.
Whatever your situation this Christmas, physically, emotionally, spiritually, I sincerely wish you a
Many of us are suffering: disease, serious injury, disabilities, extreme emotional turmoil. We haven't forgotten you. We suffer as well,
Our dearest eldest son had a massive brain aneurysm in the days before Christmas. It was about as bad as it gets, but his wife acted quickly and he was able to get to a good hospital in time to have measures taken, including complex surgery, to try to save him. 30% of people who suffer this injury never make it to the hospital.
The doctors called his surgery a "Hail Mary." The news was all bad. At the time of this writing, he lies in an coma. We don't know if he'll survive. We go day to day. Even if he does survive, he'll have many hurdles to over come - the nature of which we simply don't know now.
And so this Christmas Season, we make the trip to Intensive Care every day, and watch and pray. If there's any change by the time you read this, I'll try to post an update. For now, please pray for him, his wife, and his 19 month-old daughter. While the sorrow and suffering of my wife and I, and his four brother, is immeasurable, we can't help but think constantly of what his wife is going through.
And so, really for the first time in my life, I truly appreciate those who suffer during the Christmas Season.
Through it all, I struggle to remain recollected and remember the Nativity of Our Lord. He came to us as a baby, a mere child. Our Lord tells us we must come come to Him as a child with a spirit of simplicity. I'm doing my best this Christmas Season to do just that.
While it's difficult, I try to look in a peaceful, hopeful spirit, at the Baby Jesus lying in the manger. You see God, Almighty God, as a Child. If God can present Himself to us in this fashion, as a Child, then surely we can present ourselves to Him as a child as well. Just follow His example.
I will try, as should we all, to be, like Him, a child. To come to Him in all our labors throughout the year, in all our sorrows, sufferings, in our temptations. To always pray to Him for the graces we need; to trust in Him, that He will provide us with all we need. That little child, that Baby Jesus, that Little Child of Bethlehem will provide all we need.
Please pray for us and all who are suffering this Christmas Season.
Whatever your situation this Christmas, physically, emotionally, spiritually, I sincerely wish you a
Happy Third Day of Christmas!
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