Lessons Come Whether We Want Them To Or Not

Last Christmas, we almost lost my Grandpa.  He was in a very serious car accident and the aftermaths of it have been very difficult.  Sadly, he lost several of his beloved rescue dogs, one was left paralyzed and my Grandpa almost died.  I'm pretty sure my family isn't quite over the devastation.

Life can change in an instant.

So a few months back, I suggested to my parents that we fly down to California to visit them for Thanksgiving.  It had been a very long time since we'd spent a holiday with them and I haven't seen them since the accident.

For awhile there, it looked like we wouldn't be able to make the trip.  Then suddenly it became a mini family reunion of sorts with all the aunts, uncles and cousins wanting to join in.  Now- don't get me wrong, I love family but I just wanted to spend some quiet time with my Grandparents.  I needed the quiet time with them.  If 30+ people suddenly invaded, the quiet would most definitely not be happening.  And then everyone (and by everyone, I mean all 30+ people) wanted to go during Christmas and not Thanksgiving.

I explained to my parents that we didn't travel during the Christmas holiday.  Being home to celebrate is extremely important to us.  To this day, we have never NOT been home for Christmas.  I went on to say that everyone could do what worked best for them but that my little family would still be making the trip during Thanksgiving.  The guilt trips were applied but I wasn't budging.  Christmas with a young child is sacred and for us- it was important to be home.

And now we are going during Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, our trip will include some family members who have been extremely cruel and are very disrespectful of us and our lifestyle.  Our trip will be 8 days long.  We will be sharing a house, a bathroom, meals together and a trip to Disneyland.  Unfortunately, due to work conflicts, the husband won't be able to join us until halfway through and I'm not gonna lie- I'm dreading being alone with people I do not like without my main support system.

While I'm excited to see my Grandparents and spend some time with them and glad that the kiddo will have some cousins to play with, a part of me is also experiencing a lot of trepidation.  I'm super grateful for this chance to be with family and my Grandparents but I can't help but feel that this trip is a mistake of epic proportions.  Being in a confined space for an extended period of time with people you do not like, yeah- it has disaster written all over it.  But I'm also thinking this may be a big learning experience for me.  This trip will be a testament to my faith and to all I've learned in the last few years.  Perhaps a lesson in grace and forgiveness?  In everything we do, there is a lesson.  Good or bad.

I suppose that only time will tell.

And you all know that I'll be blogging the whole time!