Since the holidays are almost upon us, I'm thinking about all those occasions when families gather.
Some of you, I know, will have the lovely sort of holiday that is portrayed so charmingly in Normal Rockwell paintings and Focus on the Family brochures.
Others of us will be downing xanax in the bathroom while sending emergency texts to our prayer team. If you are in this latter category, you might like to take a little trip through the archives here for some preparatory reading.
Kind of like cramming for finals. Get that stuff about boundaries and forgiveness fresh in your mind again before the big test comes.
If you're not really sure whether you need to waste your time on this topic, skim through this checklist, called You Might Be A Little Codependent If...
If you've read through that, and you're wondering, why do I keep getting into these same situations, over and over? Check out my thoughts on the classic YouTube video, Charlie Bit Me.
Then just for fun, here's the grown-up retrospective on the whole Charlie thing with the Hemsworth brothers, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks. It will put your family's squabbles into perspective. I hope. Anyway, you'll laugh. Which reduces stress. Laughing is good.
Here I was pondering how the words of the liturgy "to resist evil, injustice, and oppression" apply to boundaries in our own lives. Do we get to resist evil, injustice, and oppression when they visit us, or is that just something for other people?
And here's a time when I was thinking about how "I don't want to" is reason enough.
Here are a couple of things I've written about forgiveness:
Forgiveness is Free, Trust is Earned (think Charlie Brown, Lucy, and footballs) and Blood on the Floor (nasty picture alert; does not mix well with turkey, but makes a point you will never forget, so I'm leaving it there even if it makes you puke.)
There's more in the vault, so wander around in there and check it out!
And just a quick heads up: don't miss my BLACK FRIDAY SALE, this coming Friday, November 28.
Everything will be on sale! All two things! Kindle and paperback versions of As Soon As I Fell and Comfort Ye My People, just in time for Advent reading and gifting.
I'll also have a free gift for everybody on Black Friday, so stay tuned for all that awesomeness.