Fortunate

Life changes. You can either accept this simple fact and embrace it, or you can spend a great deal of time feeling dissappointed.
Christmas tunes your emotional anntenna somehow. You hear and see things that affect you deeply. I think the reason is that people attach strong emotions linked home and family and when things don't work out, it can cause a sadness like no other.
Each year we come in contact with people that for one reason or another cannot be with their families during the holidays. They are far from home and their loved ones and the holidays seem to make the distance greater.
And then there is the soldiers who are at war. I spent a great deal of time yesterday and today thinking about them. They all have wives, children, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers whose Christmas wasn't the same this year because they had a loved one half way around the world and in harm's way.
As for the soldiers, I feel for them the most. I know what it's like to be serving so far from home at Christmas. The military can provide entertainment and food but there is nothing to compare to your mother's turkey and dressing or a hug from a small child.
But as I said, life changes and the traditions you hold so dear can change in the blink of an eye. So if you were fortunate enough to be home for the holidays, I hope you realized just how fortunate you are.