Approaching the Holiday Season....Appropriately

As it gets closer and closer to the holiday season, I get closer and closer to freaking out.  My mind goes a mile-a-minute while I lay in bed, or drive to work, or sit in my chair at work (ssshhh....don't tell!) trying to plan, prepare, and schedule our increasing load of holiday appointments and activities.  Somedays it seems I can handle it all - no problem!  And other days, it seems like it will all come crashing down and that party we're hosting will be a total disaster and I'll hide in my bathroom with the door shut.  And ultimately, what I end up doing is bypassing this wonderful season of Thanksgiving and everything that it includes - gratefulness, praise, time with family, some of my favorite colors and weather - to focus on what is coming down the road.

I read a recent blog post by a wonderful Christian woman and she referenced the verse in Ecclesiastes: 'to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.'  This kind of hit me like a load of bricks.  How often do I get caught up in looking forward?  A lot.  There's nothing inherently wrong in looking forward.  I'm a planner and organizer, so I'm always looking foward and planning some part of my life.  But...what sometimes happens is I get so caught up in looking foward and planning for the future (and sometimes worrying about the future), that I totally miss the "now".  I need to remember that it's not time for that future season yet.

We are planning for retirement and have lots of hopes and dreams about owning this mountain home, or that beach condo one day.  But in my planning and preparation for 20 years down the line, do I forget to enjoy the beautiful house that God has given me right now?  In my anxiousness to see my kids mature and grow into independent beings, do I miss being here - right now - with them to experience all the immaturity and sillyness of their youth?  In my quest to have the perfectly decorated home, do I miss the opportunities to have people over TODAY even though things are not "just the way I want them" yet?  So often, I get wrapped up in the "not yet", instead of enjoying and appreciating the "right now".

So, my goal as I enter this holiday season is to appreciate where I am today.  I will celebrate Thanksgiving fully without glossing over it to get to Christmas.  I will spend the day at the farm tomorrow with my family instead of trying to finish the curtains in the kitchen so they'll be perfect for our holiday parties.  I will enjoy the clothing I already have instead of constantly dreaming and shopping for just the right Christmas day outfit.  All of that will come eventually....but its "season" is not here yet.  I would encourage you to appreciate and fully embrace wherever you are in life right now.  There is so much joy that can be found in the here and now....the journey can be just as fun as the ultimate destination!