Uh, Baby...was it good for you?

Another Christmas, come and gone.

Man, this time of year can be so confusing - elation and depression often go hand in hand...the buildup, the big day, and in some cases, the big letdown. These emotions are often amplified by family or domestic tensions, sibling rivalry, money problems (especially this year, huh?), the breakup of a relationship, the recent loss of a loved one...or even something as seemingly shallow as not getting what you wanted.

Here is hoping that yours was a very merry Christmas - that none of the things I mentioned apply to you. Sometimes, shakin' off the blues can be as simple as counting your blessings. My favorite song for putting modern problems of Christmas in perspective is Johnny Cash's "Christmas As I Knew It" (click on link to the right), where he tells the tale of a particularly destitute Christmas as a child in rural, poverty stricken Arkansas.


But for some folks, Christmas depression can be a very real thing and if you are suffering from the holiday blues, I want to take this time to remind you, you are not alone, so hang in there. There is a light on the horizon and a light inside each and every one of us.

"I'm gonna get up and make my life shine..." - Boz Scaggs

And speaking of 'A Brand New Day'...I want to wish ALL my readers a better New Year. 2009 shows a lot of promise, what, with a new president and the hope that Obama brings to our nation after eight of the darkest years in U.S. history! His election alone is historic and progressive by anyone's standard! I, for one, feel as though the rest of the world woke up the day after election day and said: "Well, what do you know...the people of America have stood up and spoken out for freedom once again!"
Let's keep that hope alive!