Merry Christmas!

I wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a very Merry CHRISTmas!

You all have been a rock for me this past year and I don't know how I would have made it through without the support of my D-families out there. Thank you for being there and continuing to be there as my backbone as we march forward with diabetes adventures. I'm hoping 2011 holds much more for us and I'm so glad my blogger's block is gone!

I'm looking forward to tonight with friends and family. We're going to Christmas Eve service tonight. This will be the first one my girls have ever attended and I'm actually beaming with excitement to go! I'm also very happy that my Mom is going to attend with us. I'm feeling the need to be uplifted right now!

I do have a bit of a heavy heart over some things that have happened in the last 24 hours. I won't go into all the details because it's already been hashed out and I'm done with it. My only wish is peace and understanding but there are times in life that no matter how much you explain or try and ask for forgiveness, if the other person doesn't want peace then they have to bear the burden on their heart. I can only say...I tried with good intentions. But it's with a saddened heart that I really don't think I will be heading up the Christmas Secret Santa exchange next year. I know, I know....I might change my mind by next November. We'll see! I will certainly participate because I do have faith that next year will be different but I'm just having a tough time with it all right now.

"Forgiveness means letting go of a hurtful situation and moving on with your own happiness."

BELIEVE

(my new ornament this year)
This is a word that holds very special meaning for me.

When my brother and I were little, we believed in Santa. As we got older, Mom always told us, "If you stop believing then you will stop getting." So as we grew up, my brother and I never spoke a word of 'not believing in Santa' to my Mom. We'd giggle and make jokes and it wasn't until the movie, "The Polar Express" that the word BELIEVE held even more meaning. Every Christmas Eve, the tradition has always been to give the girls a new Christmas movie and matching jammies. My Mom and Brian would come up to the house and after dinner, the girls would get in their jammies, we'd watch the movie, we'd lay out the cookies for Santa and then we'd tuck them in bed and then Mom and Brian would go home. We've done this for about 9 year now. We bought the girls the "Polar Express" movie the year that it came out. That was our movie to watch that Christmas. I had NO idea that BELIEVE would be a part of that movie. By the end of the movie, my Mom and I were both in tears. To this day, I can't watch it without tissues! That being said, I really thought last year would be our last year of Kacey believing in Santa. Turns out, we gained one more year. But this year is kind of bittersweet. I know for sure it will probably be our last. So then what? Well, it turns out....BELIEVE has once again creeped in but with a little different meaning. It's a much bigger meaning that I could have ever imagined. It's one that fill my heart with joy when I even hear that word. For me, it's a happy word!

"Believe in your dreams and they may come true; believe in yourself and they will come true."
Author Unknown

Found this online and it sums it up pretty great!

I believe ~ that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I believe ~ that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I believe ~ that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
I believe ~ that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I believe ~ that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I believe ~ that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I believe ~ that you can keep going long after you can't.

I believe -- that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I believe ~ that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I believe ~ that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
I believe ~ that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I believe ~ that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I believe ~ that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
I believe ~ that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I believe ~ that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I believe ~ that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I believe ~ that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I believe ~ that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe ~ that no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I believe ~ that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I believe ~ that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
I believe ~ that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I believe ~ that two people can look at the same thing and see something totally different
I believe ~ that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
I believe ~ that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
I believe ~ that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe in YOU Always!

So my friends, this CHRISTmas, may you find peace in your heart and remember the real reason we're celebrating this holiday! I love you all!