Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Why Does the Cold & Flu Season Coincide with the Holiday Season?

The past two weeks have been pretty miserable for me. I'm just getting over a terrible cold and now my husband has the same cold. Why does cold & flu season have to coincide with the Holiday Season? Last year, I was very, very sick over Thanksgiving weekend. This year I'm sick right before Christmas. It is difficult to get everything done when you are mentally and physically exhausted from being sick. I'm sure I'll make it through somehow.

Other than being sick, another thing on my mind this Christmas is the economy. There are so many people out of a job this Christmas. I just pray that the economy will improve soon. My husband and I are fortunate in that we still have jobs; however, we have been affected by the economy also. I don't think either of us got a salary increase this year. My company dropped our annual Christmas luncheon and Christmas bonus this year. Normally, we get a 1/2 day off work and the company pays for everyone to have a nice lunch together. We also usually get a $100 Visa gift card. We aren't getting those things this year. Two of my close friends were "downsized" recently, so overall the atmosphere in the office is pretty depressing. My husband usually gets a Christmas bonus too, but that isn't happening either.

Even though our pockets are empty this Christmas, I can still be thankful for for many things. I'm thankful for my wonderful husband. I am thankful for my family and friends. I'm thankful that I have a job and transportation to get to my job. I'm thankful that I have a warm bed to sleep in at night, food to eat, water to drink, and clothing to wear. I'm very thankful for all of these blessings and many more.

I am most thankful for the greatest gift that was ever given, and that is Jesus Christ. People often get so wrapped up in the gift giving and receiving that they forget the real reason for Christmas. This year, take some time to appreciate the gift of eternal life that was given to us by Jesus. He sacrificed is own life so that we could spend eternity in Heaven with Him. We shouldn't take that gift for granted as we celebrate His birth.

Merry Christmas and God Bless!
Grazing Deer

Kentucky State Bird

Cardinal Framed by Tree

6 comments:

  1. You're right - there are so many things to be thankful for! Your deer and cardinal photos definitely represent the spirit of the season!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, we have many things to be thankful for. Our Christmas is going to be much smaller this year, but, you know, that's alright. We usually do too much anyway.

    I love your photos. Would you mind telling me what kind of camera you use? I'm just using a Sony point and shoot (DSC-H50), nothing fancy. I am interested is DSLRs - probably leaning towards a Canon, I just think I might be too "dumb" to figure out how to use it. Do you do photography professionally?

    ReplyDelete
  3. All your photos are pretty. We do have such much to be thankful for, and most of Jesus our Lord and Saviour.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My first time here. Beautiful post and music.
    I have been sick with a cold and now my hubby has it too. I think that maybe it's a way of slowing us down, so that we do concentrate on the true meaning of Christmas. Some of my best Christmas memories are from the "lean" years.Merry Christmas to you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. your photos of the cardinal are fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful images. I am so thankful for many things this year and one of them is my health. I'm sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. I've been there and completely understand. I hope that I can bypass some of the worst stuff this time around. Hope you get feeling better.

    ReplyDelete