Season of Reflection

The holiday season is a time for gratitude, reflection, and cherishing moments with loved ones.

For me, the Holiday season has always encouraged self-reflection and goal setting for the upcoming year. It is a time to align with the spirit of renewal allowing the start of a New Year to focus on spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and financial well-being. However, for many this time of the year may also bring about a wide range of emotions and hold a different significance for various reasons  such as grief, loneliness, medical illness.

As I sit and reflect on 2023, little did I know this year would throw a curveball my way that would change and move me in more ways than I could imagine. In April 2023 I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the right breast and underwent a bilateral mastectomy in June 2023. As I approach my 4^th week post-op from reconstructive surgery over this Holiday season, the healing phase, I cannot help but have so much gratitude in my heart for how far I’ve come. I reflect on God’s healing power, grace, and mercy. Had it not been for God’s “Divine Intervention”, this diagnosis would not have been caught before it was too late.

Although this year has not been easy and this holiday season looks a little different than last year, it has been a year that I now call a “divine re-invention” – a calling to let the “reason for the season” shine through for a higher purpose, all for God’s glory.

This holiday may be viewed through a different lens depending on the season  in which you find yourself. What I know to be true and consistently stay focused on, especially when I  start to feel down, is to take a moment to pause and reflect on who Jesus is and what he has done for me.

I’ve learned it’s perfectly OK to not always be OK, to give myself grace and compassion. Healing regardless of type, takes time. Surround yourself with supporting comforting people. Be transparent and vulnerable and communicate your needs to your family and friends, you’ll be surprised how much they want to help if you just speak up!

As seasons come and go bringing changes and changing us, thankfully our God remains the same. His promises of hope, joy, and peace is always there for us.  He is the reason for the season (and every season) because he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

As I recover, I have hope, joy, peace, and strength that surpasses understanding. I know the season of 2023 has well prepared me for all the powerful things God has in store for me in 2024!