Confession: I’m struggling today. Struggling to stay positive. Struggling to stay sane in all this chaos and pressure coming from all sides making every little decision into a Major Moral Dilemma. And less emotional but still important: I’ve been struggling to think of any new “Christmas gifts” to give you as we nearly wrap up our journey through the 12 Days of Christmas together. ((Yeah, no, I did not actually have an outline when on Christmas Day I decided to do a 12-day blog series!) But I just thought of two things I want to give you.
One, the assurance that you’re not alone. Well, okay, you might be alone, due to the lockdowns and all. But you’re not alone in your wrestling with emotions. If you are struggling, please reach out to someone for help. Whether it’s a counselor, a doctor, a mentor, a recovery group sponsor, a teacher, or a friend or relative who understands you, please reach out. They can hopefully help point you in a direction, like helping you find someone else who can help you more specifically with what you’re struggling with. And remember, you’re not alone.
The other gift is a fun nerdy thing that I love. And in honor of my favorite author’s birthday yesterday, I give you: Tolkien’s Father Christmas letters. I have a tiny little book of them, but I think you can buy bigger editions that have more of the letters in them. Every year for many years, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote letters to his children, posing as Father Christmas. In them, Father Christmas and his assistant the North Polar Bear have hilarious adventures. You can read one of them and check out the letters here:
For today’s prayer, please join me in praying for the country of Niger. No, not Nigeria, although it’s close by. What they’re going through right now puts my problems in perspective.
The Compass Rose Queen 
I appreciate your honest post about how you’re doing during this crazy season and stressing the importance of reaching out to someone. Especially since there are people like me out there who don’t feel they’re necessarily struggling but are also clueless to the fact that most people are really having a hard time and need more interaction and support and
I needed that reminder to reach out anyway. Thanks.
Thank you, friend! And to anyone concerned, I did reach out to someone that can help me process all the craziness, and I will be meeting with that person later this week.