Blue Christmas....

I hate feeling BLUE. 
I like feeling Yellow, or Red or even Pink... But Blue. I hate it. 


Ryan would interject now and say "Hate is a strong word.... Maybe you should use something different?" 


And I would reply "No, that's the word I was looking for!" 


I'm having a very Blue Christmas this year. Reading back on the last few entries, any certified Psychologist would know that something was brewing. But for me, it kinda hit me like a ton of bricks. 


I'm not sure where it started, or what triggered this lingering bad mood. (I would be wrong to even use the word linger, I'd be safer to say that the bad mood has signed a short term lease!) I've never felt like this for longer than a few days. I am in a hate:hate relationship with BLUE. I really need to get out! 


I have discovered something strange, sad and comforting all at the same time though. I'm not alone in this Blue Christmas mood. Soo many people have a hard time at Christmas. Lots of people go through hard things like breakups, illness, death and financial trouble at Christmas. This is a sad fact, many people struggle to get through the Holidays. And some people hide it better than others. I do a good job of hiding it. I'm a pro! 


But we can find some solace in why we celebrate. 
Its not the gifts we give....
Or the Decor....
Or the food..... 
Or the family.... 
But its the Birth or Jesus. Simply we need to remember that it was an awesome gift given to us. Not a gift we had to stand in line for, not one we had to use our Credit Card to purchase, not one we had to do anything at all for. It was given to us, out of LOVE. The best kind, the unconditional kind. 


Now, I say these things, and I understand them well. But for some reason the "Blue" hasn't left. I'm not sure when it will either..... But I had a glimpse the other day. I think its all about watering the little seed of love and hope in my heart with hugs and kisses, twinkle lights and LOVE. We all have a seed of Love, and if we water it with Love it will grow. I have to believe it will grow. Or BLUE will never go away. 


Something happened to me the last day of school that helped beyond measure. It was simple and sweet, and healing for my blue heart. It sheds some light on my theory. 


While picking Jonah up from his last day before holidays, I was filling his backpack with gifts and goodies, snow pants and mitts. In the kaos a little boy from Jonah's grade one class came running up to me and said " Im so glad your here! Just wait a minute..." and he put his little hand in his backpack and pulled out a Candy Cane. "I want you to have this, don't worry I have lots more at home. Merry Christmas Jonah's Mom!" 


At that moment, my heart felt like the grinches at the end of the movie... like it had started beating again. I was overcome. It was just a candy cane, but it was sooo much more. 


I asked if I could give him a hug, and he said yes. He hugged me a long time and said, "I love you." 


It was all I could do to keep it together. To get out of there with out letting go of the UGLY CRY! The Love he gave me that day, with that very simple gift was the start of a new beginning in my heart. 


So I'm not saying I have the answers, And I don't know how I'm gonna feel come Christmas morning. But I'm sure that Gods love for me was all wrapped up in that Candy Cane. I felt it. I know in my knower! (*P.H.E) That's how I know when we extend love, we get love. 


So this Christmas, If your feeling Blue too... You're not alone. But try to water your heart with Love by extending it to others this Christmas. It's a start at least. 


Here's to a Christmas that is filled with many colors... not just Blue! 


Big Hugs and Kisses,
Twinkle lights and LOVE, 
Melissa 




*(P.H.E) is our Pastor Hayward Eastman from Cold Lake Community Church. He would say this phrase and It always made Ryan and I giggle. It was such a true statement. Your "knower" is your spirit. He just had a Newfie name for it! I miss him and his family!

Meet the Langlois'

So we took the plunge. We actually threw caution to the wind and did it. We got a DOG!

We had been praying for a few years, wondering if we (Ryan and I) could actually handle it.  we knew Jonah would do great, us on the other hand? And by I mean handle, I mean stay sane long enough, to love it enough, to keep it. Catch my drift. It was probably was never going to happen if we kept telling ourselves that it would drive us crazy.

But something changed last week. A dog had been orphaned by a nice fellow named Bill. It was one of those,  "my best friends brothers, wife's, Dad's dog.." situations. We did not have any clue what we were getting. Actually, what we got was quite contrary to what we were told.

So, last sunday after a long Journey from Edson, (and a sleepover) we picked him and his WARDROBE up at his excellent babysitter and brought him home.

Ryan and I were FREAKING OUT! We felt like we were really shaking stuff up. We needed to shake stuff up, it was getting ALOT too comfortable around here.

But without a hitch the Dog.... POGO, came home and has been here for 5 days. He's peed on the carpet downstairs TWICE, (to Ryan's dismay) and One poop incident.  He has slept in Jonah's bed every night, and is quiet and very friendly.

He is nothing like we were told, and nothing we wanted, but EVERYTHING we needed.  Dogs do change things and shake stuff up. Pogo has done that, and we love him....ALOT. Its funny, I thought Id never be one of those DOG people, but I'm already there. I am meeting new people and learning so much. I find it's an Ice breaker when I am walking him. (People love to talk about their pets.)

I'm excited for the weeks ahead. I'm excited to see Jonah bond with him, and Ryan to finally join the baby talk to puppies phase. I'm just so excited....can you tell?

Anyway here is a pic of the little man... (not soo little, on a diet!)

Above is POGO before the Groomer.......

And after.... MUCH better. I think he lost 5 lbs of hair!

Until next time,
Dog lover....
Melissa

And it Begins....

Its here! December I mean. Sometimes I wish I could just skip the whole month. But trying to look on the bright side, and remember why we celebrate this time of year helps... a little. I can't help but think... Are we overdoing it?

Don't get me wrong, I love the whole celebration, Advent and the DECORATIONS. But (and this is a big one), WHY are we getting so "wrapped up" in this BUY ME, BUY YOU, BUY EVERYONE SOMETHING BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO BUSINESS!  I just don't understand why we can't change the way we do Christmas.

So I don't have any BIG ideas on HOW to change it. But I do know that God has opened my eyes to a lot of things we do WRONG this time of year. For starters its the purchase till your overdraft is maxed out, purchase because everyone else is, purchase, purchase, PURCHASE! I'm certain that God didn't have this in mind when the wise men blessed Jesus....

I actually LOVE to buy gifts. It's one of the most beautiful things to see eyes light up as they open a wrapped up special something! And It's an even better feeling to be the one watching the reaction from the receiver. But a gift just because is a lot different than a gift Because I feel I HAVE TOO.

What about the GIFT of our TIME? Its something everyone is short on nowadays. And something we all can give. It is one way we can give, and change this crazy season into something of HOPE!

Some of my girlfriends and I decided that it would be better to spend an afternoon hanging out sipping Hot Cocoa instead of buying something we don't really need for each other. We can rarely find the time to all be in the same room together. The best gift we can give each other is our time. I look forward to that afternoon with great anticipation!

This holiday season as your standing in line, buying that GAP sweater with your credit card for someone that bought you one last year, don't forget to set aside some time for the people you want to BLESS the MOST this year.  Spread the HOPE!

Because as the famous commercial goes....

Hot Cocoa ......................... $3.45
Gap Sweater ...................... $39.98
YOUR TIME......................Precious, RARE and PRICELESS!



Lots of LOVE...
Melissa

And heres a great video.... WATCH IT!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KZnaJ99U1c