With all the last-minute holiday details, I am frequently reminded that tolerance is a valuable tool.  I learned at a very young age that worrying about having everything perfect is exhausting and rarely comes to fruition.  

As a child, I would look around and see all the chaos leading up to a celebration.  The event itself always seemed to go flawlessly, but the preparation appeared to be grueling.  I promised myself that when it was time for me to host celebrations I would make preparation tolerable or maybe even fun for all those involved!  

One of the things most helpful has been my perspective or attitude leading up to the celebration. I have learned to be flexible in my expectations and have a high tolerance for things that don’t go as expected.  I pray that I will be respectful and caring to those around me as I maneuver through the activities leading to the celebration.

Although some of us have far more detailed schedules than others, most of us have a timeline that we are striving to meet.  Often the family schedule is in my head or written down in a place where only I can view it.  As I prepare for celebrations I make an effort to share those plans frequently with my family.  Oftentimes, I ask them to repeat back to me what is on the schedule for the day or week, just so I know they were listening!  

I can’t blame my family for interrupting the schedule if I have not made them a part of the process.  There are ALWAYS things that come up and that is another area where tolerance comes into play.   Sometimes it is a willingness to stop what I am doing to transport someone, other times it is rearranging the schedule to take in that spontaneous memory-making “moment” that arises.  It is during these times that I am very careful not to answer quickly, but to allow myself time to breathe, to be tolerant, and to be flexible.  

The same tolerance is needed for our extended family and friends.  Every family has an opinion on how they think the celebration should take place.  Some families have reasonable requests others make the celebration very difficult.  The idea of a celebration is that it involves fun, right?  

Celebrations are not enjoyable for everyone.  Take time to realize that the holiday is not fun for everyone, but it is much more enjoyable if you show tolerance for those around you.  

Gift giving is not everyone’s strength.  Some people take the time to think about the person, their likes, and their activities and can find that very personal gift.  You open up the package and you wonder how they ever came up with that idea or found that perfect something.  Other times you open up the package and wonder if the gift was meant for someone else!  It is at those times when you have to find tolerance for those who may not have gift-giving as one of their strengths or priorities.  It is a time to be grateful for all that we have been given.

I pray that you will find peace, hope, joy, and love this season and throughout the new year.

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