It seems like I have been running on full-speed since Thanksgiving and at the end of each day have little to show for my efforts. As Christmas Day nears, my first waking moments have been clouded with a hint of panic as I try to remember all that I still haven't accomplished.

Sometimes I have made a list for the day and hit the floor running with a sense of purpose. (I love to make lists.) Sometimes I haven't and those produce a weird state of paralysis while I try to remember what I forgot.

Meal preparation never made any of the lists and the only thing in my refrigerator right now is cheese and Diet Coke.

Like the view in this ornament I allow the holiday madness to distort my view of what the season is about.

Today I will...

...discard the distorted view and see the one that shows how blessed my life is.

...pull out my camera and feel the calm as I look through the lens and listen to the shutter click.

...take a walk down the path and sit by the lake.

...reflect on how especially blessed I am to have an abundance of family, friends, and a spousal unit that is my best friend.

...be especially grateful for the first December in two years that I have remained healthy. 

I even hope to eat a meal that doesn't consist of cheese and Diet Coke. It could happen. I put it on The List.