A Christmas Fairytale

...seems to be happening in our lives presently. The kind you see on Fa La La La Lifetime, the kind that leaves you feeling humbled and inspired by the human spirit that in the movie has you gulping down chokes as tears threaten while you pretend not to weep at the ridiculously gushy movie. Admit it, we've all been there. Well I'm here to tell you that life can be just as gushy and it's bloody marvelous. It's been a while since my last blog and there's a reason for that. As some of you know, life's been pretty challenging recently in the Tibbles household; Bankruptcy, no jobs and recently no income at all due to Jen's unemployment benefit being halted. My truck got repossessed, my phone is still cut off as I can't pay the bill yet worse than bills piling up, we couldn't pay the rent and faced being homeless. I kid you not. This is still a possibility. I am not complaining, this is just life and shit happens. In order I don't get lost in the stench of it, I look to the Universe to my soul..and keep the faith, somehow knowing as my Ollie always used to say to me, "It will be ok Mummy, everything will be ok." And I believe. During the last 10 days or so, the fairytale began. It began with touching emails from friends who wanted to help.  Let me add also here that many were friends I have known only via facebook and whom I have yet to meet.   This is what is so incredible and so amazing about this fairytale; like the stories within, these funny, loving characters who I see from afar, somewhat in my imagination, suddenly pop up in real life as a real person with real, true meaning and reach out to me with love. I take the hand. I take it with gratitude and equal love. As I peer into my hand a gift lays upon it that allows me to feed my family and get much needed provisions. I would receive several gifts that as this fairytale continues to unfold, will take care of many needs for most of the month of December. A Xmas tree would also arrive, complete with lights, decorations and a star atop. Amazing how it fits just perfectly into the corner, like the empty space was waiting for it. How a dear friend who is struggling personally himself this holiday season offers his time and vehicle to take my daughter to see her Dad and bring her back home safely as the car we have would not make the drive to Chicago and back. Then as my family and I wonder how we will keep the roof over our heads another gift arrives; the gift of a full time job, offered to me at the YMCA as their Health & Wellness Coordinator. I officially start in January yet have already begun with gutso. So as we celebrate all the gifts that is the human spirit I for one, believe in fairytales and in times of struggle, invite you to do the same. Merry Christmas my friends...off to watch one of those gushy Fa La La La Lifetime movies...I believe mine is about to play out....

Thoughts Right Now...

...are all over the bloody place; JOY, of kindness of others, shown today when a friend turned up at our doorstep with groceries and a Xmas tree, knowing we had no money for either and I swallowed my pride and accepted the hand that GIVES, remembering something a dear friend said. "Deb, if you do not accept the hand that GIVES, you are interfering in God's work.".... that my daughter who is suffering from a broken heart and Lord knows has suffered already in her short 19 years, posted a status headline on facebook which I think can teach us all MUCH: "To let go is not to forget, not to think about or ignore; it doesn't leave feelings of anger, jealousy or regret. Letting go isn't winning nor is it losing, it's not about pride or obsessing or dwelling on the past; to let go is to cherish memories and overcome them, letting go is having the courage to accept change and have the strength to keep moving. Letting go is growing up." I learn from my daughter. We can all learn from our children, we could all grow up, if only we would listen. I am guilty of years past, of not. And I am ashamed. Ashamed of waving in front of my youthful child the card that reads, "I-know-it-all-and-you-don't." Thinking that as her mother, I had all the answers. How bloody ignorant I was. Yet what MATTERS is the lesson, what MATTERS is we LISTEN. Eventually, I did. And today, I am a proud mother of this young woman who in my eyes will always be my precious CHILD, yet is a strong woman, going out in the world with all of her insecurities and passions of life, essentially, alone, for despite I am her mother, always here, I need to let her go....she says it so well....