To all of the Strange Music fam and the Siccness folks,
I hope that your holiday weekend holds with it revelation of the love that people have for you, and less about what you will receive. As a lot of you know, I lost my father about a month ago and I've been out of it. My attitude has been poor and my heart heavy knowing that this year all the traditions we've had for the holiday have changed. Today my mom, sister, and dad would have dinner around 5pm and then open presents we got for each other, and Christmas day was dedicated to my other brothers and sisters and their families. My dad would send a prayer to The Lord and ask for blessings upon his family and Israel in the upcoming year. We would look around as he prayed and smile because his prayers were direct and simple.
With Dad's passing, we've adjusted our dinner to include one of my brothers and we're still exchanging the gifts. The one thing I've just thought of is I would give away every gift for me if it meant I could see and hear my dad praying tonight at the table. Well, this is reality and I have to adjust my focus in order to save my heart from further pain. I've not had any money as I lost my job the same week Dad passed and haven't found any work, so I've made a lot of gifts for people. More than anything I've done this year for Christmas is I've tried to show people that I love them, but put less emphasis on the gifts portion. The whole gifting thing is so stressful, even if you have money. You either go blindly into getting someone something, or you ask them directly; both of which are just as uncomfortable as the other. Gifts are cool, but they are glorified way too much.
Guys, I hope that your Christmas is awesome and that someone shows you that they love you, be it a hug or something to lift you up and show you that you're special. Try to do the same for someone else in the midst of the chaos that usually ensues during the holiday weekend. Give someone a hug if you feel you should. Don't be too much of a man to spread good vibes to someone else.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Jed
I hope that your holiday weekend holds with it revelation of the love that people have for you, and less about what you will receive. As a lot of you know, I lost my father about a month ago and I've been out of it. My attitude has been poor and my heart heavy knowing that this year all the traditions we've had for the holiday have changed. Today my mom, sister, and dad would have dinner around 5pm and then open presents we got for each other, and Christmas day was dedicated to my other brothers and sisters and their families. My dad would send a prayer to The Lord and ask for blessings upon his family and Israel in the upcoming year. We would look around as he prayed and smile because his prayers were direct and simple.
With Dad's passing, we've adjusted our dinner to include one of my brothers and we're still exchanging the gifts. The one thing I've just thought of is I would give away every gift for me if it meant I could see and hear my dad praying tonight at the table. Well, this is reality and I have to adjust my focus in order to save my heart from further pain. I've not had any money as I lost my job the same week Dad passed and haven't found any work, so I've made a lot of gifts for people. More than anything I've done this year for Christmas is I've tried to show people that I love them, but put less emphasis on the gifts portion. The whole gifting thing is so stressful, even if you have money. You either go blindly into getting someone something, or you ask them directly; both of which are just as uncomfortable as the other. Gifts are cool, but they are glorified way too much.
Guys, I hope that your Christmas is awesome and that someone shows you that they love you, be it a hug or something to lift you up and show you that you're special. Try to do the same for someone else in the midst of the chaos that usually ensues during the holiday weekend. Give someone a hug if you feel you should. Don't be too much of a man to spread good vibes to someone else.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Jed
