MaXIMIze - Celebration - Rituals and Change

As I look at my small artificial Christmas tree decorated with ornaments from my mother's growing up years, mine, and my children's, I realize rituals change as life changes.

One of my favorite holiday photos is when my daughter was about three years old, and she was kneeling in front of the Christmas tree she had just put the topper on (with the help of her dad). The tree was six-foot-plus and very bushy - the kind you can tuck the lights and ornaments into. There were lots of packages under the tree, and she was just looking up at the tree full of lights and ornaments.

For years we would go to a lot and pick a tree, a tall bushy tree. There were years when the trees were smaller due to finances, but we always had a cut real tree. With lots of packages under it.

The family grew and shrank over the years, with marriages and divorces, and now has stabilized to three kids, one kid's lady, and three grandchildren - and my significant other.

My little tree has presents for two under it this year, since the kids and grandkids are scattered to the four winds, and I no longer live in the same state as my older two children.

So traditions like stockings, opening a small present on Christmas Eve, and making cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning have changed. No more stockings, no more small gift on Christmas Eve to appease anxious children, but I still make the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. This year, there will only be three of us gathered together. And that's okay.

Children grow up, families change, as does life.

And that is a gift unto itself.

Namaste!

MaXIMIze - Celebration - Sometimes I Hate the Holidays!

I had a whole plan laid out of what topics that fit the theme of Celebration I was going to blog about this month - which got totally sidetracked for a variety of reasons!

A Facebook interaction - a reaction to responses to a post I shared on sharing favorite meals that Mom or Grandma made, which I addressed to my three blood children - has put a pall on the holidays this year.

It is a pall I can choose to wear as a mantle, or one I can cry over and let go - and I will choose the latter.

The holiday season can dredge up all sorts of memories - good and bad - and how we perceive those memories can cause us to either be filled with joy and thankfulness for what we have right here, right now, or they can push us into melancholy, depression, and crying "woe is me" to the world.

So, when I had read responses to my post before bed last night, I was happy that my children - both blood and heart - were remembering good times and good meals. I went to sleep with that positive energy flowing through me.

When I checked the responses this morning, however, I discovered that my son and a Facebook friend of mine had an argument in the thread of the responses, and my son had left Facebook (which he has done in the past). This hurt me deeply, and yes, when I got more information on his responses, I cried.

I love my son and I hurt for him. However, he has issues he needs to address and find a way to heal. Unless he truly acknowledges that fact, takes responsibility for his own life, and works to change and grow into the healthy, happy, responsible person we all know he can be, then these flare-ups are going to continue to happen, particularly during times of celebration.

And that is why I sometimes hate the holidays.

However, I can choose to wallow in the negative emotions or I can choose to let them pass through and focus on the positive instead.

I can choose to respond rather than react. I can take that breath, fill my thoughts with positivity, and move forward from there, realizing life isn't perfect, and this too shall pass.

I will focus on the happy memories of the little boy who loved popcorn toast so much that he tried to make it himself, and continue to send the man that boy grew into positive energy, and hope he finds a way to heal for himself and for his beautiful children.

Namaste!

MaXIMIze - Harvest - Relationships

Okay, I'm going to get a little esoteric here...

I woke up in the middle of the night (not an unusual occurrence...) and I heard what is known as the Taos Hum, which lulled me back to sleep. As I was journaling this morning, I wondered if the Hum was Mother Earth communing with Mother Moon, who is waxing toward fullness right now.

There is a relationship between our planet - Mother Earth - and her natural satellite - Mother Moon. The moon influences the waters here on Earth, and many things were done by the dark of the moon, when the moon was full, or during the periods of waxing and waning, particularly in regards to early agriculture. Modern biodynamic agricultural practices still honor and use some of those early practices.

When I look at the world today and what is going on, I see a breakdown in human relationships, much like there is a breakdown in natural relationships in some areas of our planet.

Building, and - more importantly - keeping, relationships is not always easy. And some relationships should not be built or kept because of various incompatibility issues.

This past year has been one of both building and keeping relationships for me. I'm building relationships in my new home and job, and working to keep relationships where I came from.

I've also chosen to let go of some relationships - those that no longer serve in my life.

Relationships, even familial ones, take work on both sides.

What have you harvested in the area of relationships this year? Where are you going to focus your energy in this area next year?

November is the month where we honor our military veterans and where we give thanks as individuals, families, and as a Nation. Some of us also honor those who have gone before us with the Day of the Dead celebrations.

Gratitude is the theme for the month. We will talk about developing rituals related to giving thanks and expressing our gratitude, as well as Thanksgiving itself.

I welcome guest bloggers for this theme as well as for December's theme of Celebration. If you are interested in posting a guest blog, please contact me at maximize.beth@gmail.com.

Until next time, Namaste!