Anger

Anger is today's emotion. Anger that my husband is struggling. Anger that my dad is lost. Anger that I'm unsure of how life goes on. Anger that once again we are having to try to figure out what comes next.

Here I am, waiting at LAX, watching people rush to make their flights, listening to people laughing, watching people smile. No one here knows that I am a mom without a child, that I am dreading the holidays, that the Christmas music playing in the terminal makes me a little sick to my stomach. And I don't know anyone else's story. Perhaps the person next to me traveling alone is facing a Christmas without a loved one. Maybe the man on the phone across from me is trying to find a new job after being laid off. The mom trying to corral three children may be lonely because her husband is serving overseas. We never know the pain others may be facing.

What I do know is the pain I am facing, and the pain my family is facing. Christmas will be nothing like we were planning. In this holiday season, please be a little more patient, a little more understanding. And take time to enjoy the holidays, rather than rushing through them and stressing about things that don't matter in the long run. Time is the one gift that doesn't cost anything to give, but can mean the most. So give freely.