This week’s inspiration comes from a sentiment I heard over the weekend. I can’t find its source to credit but here’s what I recall:

Those words struck me, touching a special place in my heart. For me, Christmas is all about love. It’s about sharing gifts and time and creating experiences and memories that have the capacity to last a lifetime.

It’s often a joyous season. Some of us will welcome new family members to our traditions. Others of us will creatively modify our traditions to accommodate changes within our family.

Yet it can also be a season of longing and hurt for those of us who must rework all traditions because we’ve lost someone dear to us. Despite our best efforts, grief, that strange companion, reminds us of the love that we have lost.

Yet, the candle shines on. Love can pierce through the darkness.

Through the years, I’ve learned that when I can focus on the light instead of the dark, it’s a little easier to navigate the holidays. The love of my parents, my brother, my son, all those memories shine brighter when I focus on the good things they taught me and the meaningful experiences we shared. The love I still feel for them still burns brightly.

As Anne Frank once wrote, “Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”

Yes!

So shine on, candle of love. Illuminate for us all the best this season of love has to offer.

How about you? Will your holidays be different this year? How are you adjusting? Tell me about it. I’d love to know.

Much love to you in this season of love!

P.S. Still deciding if you need to do more to celebrate your holidays? Here’s what I learned last year when I had to modify a holiday tradition while making my “that’s good enough” Texas Snow treat.

P.S.S. Welcome new subscribers! So glad you are joining us. And thanks, as always, to all who continue to respond with your kind emails and thoughtful reviews. You have no idea how much those mean to me!