This past holiday I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with my extended family. I had never really thought that second cousins could really be close family members. On a Monday night just a couple of days after Christmas I found myself at the house of my fathers cousin. I had convinced myself that I really didn't want to be there because I was going through a break up didn't want any "family time" so to speak. We all sat down and had dinner together and there was a lot of conversation and laughter and just a great opportunity to see exactly what the holidays were truly about.
It wasn't until later that night that I was hit by a huge realization. We were still around the table, but instead of eating, we were playing Apples to Apples. Now, in a game that is truly about comedy and being very loud, I would never have expected to have an epiphany in that moment. It was almost as though time had stood still and I look into the face of each person sitting at that table and I realized that this is what matters. More than having things, more than chasing our dreams; this is what matters. My heart was broken for my ended relationship, but I realized that no matter what happens in life, people can not help you, they can only stand by and understand. To ask anything more from anyone else is unreasonable. Everyone sitting at that table knew exactly what had happened to me just days before and they did the best thing that they could have done, they kept it off of my mind. Never could I ask for more.
This holiday season is the first time in which I have received so few material possessions, but I truly understood the meaning of the birth of Christ. This is what made the Christmas of 2008, the best Christmas that I have ever had.
No comments:
Post a Comment