Remembering Your Priorities...

Ever find you get so caught up in the day to day grind that you forget your priorities? You forget the things that are supposed to matter most...

Take family dinners for example, its something that is common around this time of year... how easy is it to get caught up in worrying about whether the turkey is perfect, whether you have all the proper side dishes, who is bringing their favourite drinks, etc... and yet is the time with family not one of the main reasons for this? Remembering the reason for the season, should that not be a priority?

This Christmas season my fiance and I headed north to spend some time with my family, and I had two different occasions where I was reminded of this.

First of all, I went to the Family Christmas that my Dad's side of the family always holds. My aunts/uncles/cousins all get together at someone's house for a lunch, that often becomes dinner as well, card games and time together. Just before we eat we get together and sing grace. Seeing the whole family gathered around that table, singing grace together, that for me was one of those 'ah-ha' moments. The moments when you find  yourself reminded of why you're there, in that place at that  moment.

The second came in the innocence of a child. Amidst the new toys, flashy wrapping paper and Christmas specials, you often don't expect to see much of your children during Christmas... and yet my 2 year old niece walks over, takes my hand and leads me to the couch this morning. She voiced her one and only request from me... "Cuddle me". When we reached the couch she curled up in my lap, pulling a blanket from the couch with her, so we could just curl up together for a bit.

So lets all learn a little something from that 2 year old child. Forget about the flash and commercialism, don't worry if your meal is perfect or your gift is worth enough... Just look at your loved ones as they are around you, some living so far away on a usual basis, and spend some time with them... No distractions