As I told you last week, this is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping. I love Christmas lights, family time together, cooler weather, opening and sharing gifts, Christmas songs— the whole thing!
And although I now share the holidays with a spouse, I remember all-too-well when I was a single parent. I remember receiving my $50 Christmas bonus at 3:00pm on Christmas Eve and having to rush to the local dollar store to purchase gifts for my children and stretch every penny. I remember feeling sad that we opened Christmas presents alone, rather than with some male figure in our lives. I felt sorry for myself, every step of the way. And………..I do remember when it all changed. My perspective changed. I was Overwhelmed with my bills, Overwhelmed with my loneliness, Overwhelmed with my parenting alone………..then it all changed. I began to be thankful for that car I drove, house I lived in, and healthy children I had. I began being thankful for that last-minute Christmas bonus, rather than complaining that it didn’t come sooner. I began being thankful I was no longer in a dead-end relationship, rather than focusing on my “aloneness”.
This is why I wrote Overwhelmed: The Life of a Single Mom. I have casually mentioned my book here at Single Parents Town, but haven’t told you why I wrote it or what it is. I wrote it because I truly do have a passion to see single parents make it, to see them thrive, to see their children successful. Continue reading »