Check out the ultimate guide to your Christmas holiday by Holly Richardson! It includes journal prompts, service ideas, timeless gift ideas, recipes and much more to make your holiday more meaningful and help you be present for all the good stuff.
Category: Real Talk w/Holly Richardson
This year, I’ve found myself more anxious and more out of sorts than I normally am. I’ve needed to address the mom stress directly, especially going into the holiday season. I meditate. I breathe. I journal. I manage expectations – my own and others’. And I use music.
Some trials I never have and never will be grateful for. However, I have learned I can still find ways to be grateful in the middle of despair and later, I am often grateful for lessons learned, for empathy deepened and a heart softened. Gratitude and sorrow can co-exist.
When I was a young mom with a houseful of young children, my mom gave me a plaque. It read “When mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” Well, this mama was NOT happy. I was offended. You see, I did not want everyone’s happiness riding on my shoulders. That felt too heavy.
Would you believe me if I told you that you can get things done AND enjoy the holidays too? Part of it is knowing your own boundaries. You can create joyful moments that turn into joyful memories without killing yourself off.
Can I let you in on a little secret? Having your children leave home is hard! I was unprepared for the intense grief…I felt like I had been kicked in the gut.
“I hate you! You’re not my real mom!” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that over the last 33 years of parenting, well, I could at least have a nice dinner out. Maybe take a vacation.
I think I must be a slow learner, because it wasn’t until a couple of years ago, after 30 years of parenting, that I had a new perspective on God and these temper tantrums.
Our families need to see that we don’t actually have to work all the time, that we can play. Rest. Read. Connect. Sleep. And the can too.
I’m Holly. I’m a strong mom some days. I’m a tired mom some days. I’m a white mom every day. But not all of my kids are white. And their lives matter.