Today is Christmas Day. It can be hard to summarize this Christmas when there has been so much going on in my life. I keep plugging on while experiencing so much this year, but one thing that I realize is that I am going to work at taking more time to be there for my family while I still have the privilege to do so.

This year, I came across the words in someone’s obituary of the importance of “taking the time.” Time is the one thing that never really has a balance to it. We never know how much of it we really have left, especially with our loved ones. I was lucky to have some dearly beloved extended grandparents well into my thirties that cared for me deeply. Because I was oftentimes self-centered, I did not take the time to spend as much time as I should have in later years, and to a degree, I regretted that. My grandmother passed away suddenly; however, I did see her the day before she died, and I am forever grateful for that. My grandfather, her husband of seventy years died eight months after her, three days after Christmas. While this was many years ago. I have always had some heartfelt resentment for not always doing enough, especially at Christmas which was one of my grandmother’s favorite times of the year.

But as we are in the present of 2024, there has been so much that has happened that has shown me that life can change in a matter of an instant and that nothing is ever guaranteed. I can feel frustrated about having to do things that I may not find enjoyable or entertaining, but as 2024 has proven to me, it is important to take the time to do them. I am proud of the fact that I was able to attend two of my niece’s school chorus concerts this year without any issues for the first time ever in her life. I know that she was proud of me for putting in the effort to do that and that will forever be a memory for her and I.

There have been many other things that I have had to sacrifice for my father this year as he has had his injury this spring and that in of itself has been very tolling for many, including myself. As difficult as it has been to dedicate the time that has been needed to attend to his needs, I have made the sacrifice out of love for him and the fact that I am making his last years end on a good note is something that we both want for our well-beings.

As hard as it can be to make sacrifices instead of thinking about how the world revolves around me, I know that there are so many people that are proud of me for standing up and doing the right thing when it is needed, adulting like a champ and doing what is needed to be there and supporting my family, including taking the time for doing things that I may at one time objected to. Life can change in an instant and as hard as it can be to adapt to things, sometimes we have to “adult” and do the tough stuff too because many have done the same thing for us when we were down and out. There can be times when I want to be frustrated, but there are times when I will have to spend my own time wisely to care for myself in the way that I need to. But, for now, I will take the time to be there for those I love.