It doesn't have to be all uphill.

The build up to the holidays can be stressful without any extraneous situations. With all my might I tried not to be negative during the week before Christmas, but many forces conspired against me.

• One morning I woke to a flat tire which took the better part of a day for my husband and sons to replace. Two days later the car died in a parking garage. After years of high repair bills, the car and its brand new tires needed to go.
• The DC blizzard brought 20 inches of snow and cancelled school the week before winter break. Mounds formed at the foot of the sledding hill causing my younger son to go airborne and break his collarbone. The week before Christmas was filled with doctor and x-ray appointments.
• My husband and I decided to meet our volunteer commitment for church by directing the Christmas Eve Nativity Pageant. An hour before the service, the kids were receiving their costumes and hadn’t had a rehearsal due to the blizzard.
• The FedEx driver could not find our house and continued to return my older son’s present (his only present) to the distribution center even when the directions were written on the box. As a full week’s time for delivery dwindled down to a few hours, a happy Christmas seemed lost.
• My mother’s beau was having heart pains and she took him to the hospital which resulted in Christmas Eve surgery for five clogged arteries. Everyone worried.

Truth is, the week wasn’t as emotional as it might sound. It was deliberate. Each day required energy and resolve but I discovered some noteworthy lessons.

A bad situation could lead to a dream. As a practical person, I’ve never had a dream car but I’m unexpectedly looking at sports cars. In the first showroom we made a beeline for the Mustang. The salesman took one look at our family and told me everyone else was buying the hybrid SUV. I’m not giving in! I prefer to zip around town in a car, and it’s going to be black and sleek.

Doctors still care and go out of their way for patients. A specialist agreed to see my son’s collarbone before his office opened on Christmas Eve. Lately the health care arguments fill the news and the broader issues tend to overshadow our daily lives. This act of kindness reminded me of how lucky we are to have excellent doctors. Our system needs to insure every person has the same.

The Spirit is more powerful than planning and practice. The kids in the pageant were perfect since they were perfectly themselves. The angels twirled and danced like never before because it came from their hearts. Every child participated in their own special way and the story was told without our interference as only kids could do.

Sometimes you need to go beyond your comfort level to be more persistent with a company when your circumstances do not fit the typical system. FedEx Customer Service took notice but only after many calls. Eventually everyone realized a driver should be able to find a house, even if the location is tricky, so we were given the manager’s cell phone number. The FedEx driver called my husband’s cell phone as we crouched down in front of the pews motioning to the kids in the pageant. Christmas was merry at the very last minute.

Even a serious illness might bring wonderful life changes. My mother’s beau pulled through and although still recovering on Christmas Day, he asked my mother to marry him. After four years together, he had realized what was most important to him in life.

The week before the holidays I continually reminded myself not to be negative and was rewarded for my faith by all of these positive outcomes.

May the New Year bring you all the best in life as you are Trying Not To BNeg.