There are so many things I would like to write about here that I wasn’t sure where to go next with my blog but some of the comments I had following my first attempt helped me hone in on one issue that is quite close to my heart. However, I’ve struggled to get much time to myself with a computer to write it and life has stepped in and made me push that one back for now.
There have been lots of big life events happening for people around me: engagements, pregnancy announcements, LOTS of cute new arrivals (No!! I’ve only just picked myself up after our first, we’re not ready to get back on that merry go round just yet!), and some pretty challenging times for others. A friend has just undergone her third craniotomy with inspirational strength and courage, another friend shared the story of her friend’s Facebook post marking the years since the last night she spent with her 11 year old daughter before she died, and a close colleague spending as much time with her 6 year old niece as possible before cancer takes her far too soon.
These are stories of life; full of highs and lows and experiences set to try us. We all face these at some point in our lives and we all get through them as best we can. And now I’ve been fortunate enough to have become a parent, some of these stories hit me a little harder. They make me more appreciative of what I have, no matter how challenging that sometimes is (especially my little wild child!), and I go home and hug my little one that bit tighter, cherish and enjoy what I have, and appreciate what’s in my life.
My little one loves to sit on my knee in the rocking chair in her room after her bath to have some milk before bed. And we usually have some mummy-daughter snuggles before I put her in her bed and tip-toe downstairs with all my fingers and toes crossed…! I give her cuddles, nuzzle her hair and kiss the top of her head, and on some nights she falls asleep on my knee 😊 These are special moments, not just because she is a world-class sleep fighter, but because I know they won’t last forever and I need to enjoy them while I can, but also because over the past month I have listened to the sad stories I referred to earlier. And I know that I am lucky that my child is happy and healthy.
And on the day I was about to press “Go” on this blog, I received the awful news that the little 6 year old girl I mentioned passed away the night before. And so I’ve amended this blog in her honour. She was a brave and beautiful little girl who I never had the pleasure of meeting but whose death hit me hard. I got to know her through her equally brave and beautiful auntie who is having to deal with one of life’s most difficult challenges at what should be a happy time of year.
So this festive season, spend time with your loved ones (even your annoying relatives!) and cherish the time you have with them because we never know what’s around the corner. I recently read a quote that feels is quite apt here: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present”* so make the most of your present this Christmas, not just the one you find under the tree.
Have a lovely Christmas and New Year everyone.
*(source unknown)
A Christmas Angel for all the real Christmas Angels out there xx