The dreaded letter!

I love getting Christmas cards.  Really.  The perfect -- or wonderfully un-perfect picture of family or friends.  Whether I see them occasionally, or rarely, I love to get the pictures.  The letters are even better!  Glimpses in to people's lives.  Highlights of the year's activities, accomplishments, and milestones in their children's lives.

What I hate is writing them.  Have you noticed that I haven't sent any for several years now?  Each year it seems to get harder.  I think about it, plan on it, sometimes even make lists of names and addresses.  Once it comes to the letter, though, I give up.  This year, as Christmas drew closer, I was determined.  My cards are winter-y, but they don't actually say Merry Christmas.  Reflections come at the end of the year, anyway, so I thought my timing was perfect to send them as New Year's cards. . .

Until I wrote mine.  It took me a few evenings to get the right wording about everything.  I threw in a little about our year as a family, a little bit about each of the boys, and a nice closing.  Then I re-read it, and realized the whole thing was ridiculous.  It didn't sound like us at all.  Who are these perfect, happy people?  It was then that the words from this blog flashed through my mind: It isn't a perfect life, but it's our life.  And I realized that I want to tell the truth.  Not the whole truth, but at the very least, I should recognize that it's us when I read the letter I'm about to send out.

So here I am, in a place where I can be honest about who I am, and what life is really like.  Because it's far from perfect.  And I do my best, but I'm not perfect, either.

Here's to embracing the reality of an imperfect life!


Janis