There’s an old Mother Teresa quote: “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”
It’s always struck me because it’s simple, but also profound. So often we see people pour themselves into everything outside the walls of their own home and return with very little to give to their own families. We deplete ourselves with others and for others, who would replace us if something happened to us. We burn ourselves out to the point our flame is extinguished before we even have a chance to connect with our own family.
The holiday season is no different for many of us. We try so hard to plan and make things magical for our family that we are exhausted. We go to such great lengths to make it a memorable time for our family, but get so bogged down with the details that the joy can often be lost this time of year. The endless gifts, events, parties, and traditions are fun, but also tiresome.
This is the perfect time to pause and truly go home to love our own families. Stay in the pjs with an extra cup of coffee and just enjoy being home with each other. All of those decorations you went to so much trouble putting up, enjoy them. The presents you’ve bought, really look at your child’s face when they open them. The same songs we’ve heard for so many years, pay attention to the words. It doesn’t matter if the house is perfect or if you still have a pile of presents to wrap. Give yourself permission to just love your family and not succumb to the stress of this season.
Your kids won’t remember if there was dog hair on the floor or if you had the perfect place setting on the table Christmas morning. They will remember that you went to the effort to make the house festive and that they were loved.
How many of us are guilty of focusing on the to-do lists for this season and not being present in the moment to treasure the gift of time with our loved ones?
May we start peace in our own homes within the way we treat each other and the memories we create with our own families. May we allow ourselves to feel peace by loving our family and giving ourselves permission to rest. May our memories last for generations to come. It starts in our own homes.
May peace begin with each of us in our own home by the way we love each other. If you truly want to make a difference this holiday season and in the world, go home and love your own family.
Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.
What an absolutly beautiful article! Thank you for the reminder!