Grief and Joy-Christmas 2025

You can experience grief and joy at the same time. Those words have been swirling in my head for a couple of weeks while thinking about the gatherings Christmas brings. It’s been hard for me to prepare for those gatherings this year. Grief sometimes tells us that we shouldn’t feel joy, sometimes feeling joy while grieving makes us feel guilty. I’m not writing from a perspective of a chaplain that has had many hours of training in grief care and loss. I’m speaking from a place of personal experience. Many of you know I have dealt with a lot of loss in my life. Everyone deals with loss at some point, but there are certain times that make you hyper aware of the family and friends that are no longer around to share joyous occasions with.
Christmas is a season of Joy! Our Savior was born and this is the season we celebrate the little baby born in a manger. His birth was a very important part of His gift of our ability to be with Him, the triune God, and join the friends and family that have gone before us in Him.
So this morning I’m giving myself this pep talk. Allow yourself to experience the Joy this Christmas brings, embrace the people you get to be with today. Thank God for the gift of the birth of Jesus.

Don’t be alone today , if you’re with in driving distance of 37931 come hang out with us and we will spark up some joy.
Merry Christmas!

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬