The End of Epiphany

I don't think I've ever celebrated Epiphany before,
But tonight my friend's aunt invited the Christmas group -
My friend, her boyfriend, her uncle, and me -
To her place for dinner.

Apparently it technically ends tomorrow,
But tonight we enjoyed good food and good wine.
I still don't know what to do with my friend,
Who is very into herself and the life she wants.

It was really nice to see her aunt and uncle,
Before regular life comes back into play.
Because now it is the end of Epiphany,
And it's back to regular life tomorrow.

I Did Not Win

I did not win any awards tonight,
At my company's annual holiday party,
However a couple of the people I nominated did win,
And I found out another person nominated me
On top of the one I knew who did.

I had invited my friend who went last year,
As it did not end well then, and I wanted her to have
A better time, but she got sick and had to cancel,
So she asked one of our mutual friends to go,
Who would have been my first choice anyways.

It was an amazing night -
Much better than last year even for me.
It was at an amazing place downtown,
And my boss hugged me when I came in,
As well as several other coworkers.

The CEO remembered my friend's name,
Even if just for the night,
And the casino worker named Art
Helped us have fun at blackjack all night,
Which I now know how to play!

Here's to a better year of 2020,
Than 2019 was for my friends and me.
Though the sobering part is that
In 100 years, there will be all new people,
And those born in 2020 could live to see the year 3000.

Happy New Year.

It's A New Year

I don't know what this year will bring,
After last year being one of the hardest of my life.
I stayed in this year for New Year's Eve,
Facebook messaging with a friend of a friend.
It was surprisingly peaceful and enjoyable.

I don't know what this year will bring,
But it's a new year, and there's always hope -
Because of the One I know who is with me -
He's the same One who was with me last year,
And who will be with me forever. <3

It's Christmastime Again

Stockings, breakfast, getting ready, big gifts, dinner -

It's my sister and brother-in-law's turn with us,

And this year my aunt and uncle ended up joining us too,

And boy did they get indoctrinated into our traditions!

So many presents - more than any other year.

My brother is building a computer,

And my sister and I got a lot of clothes and boots,

And the rest got lots of fun things, too.

There has been plenty of family time - 

Talking and catching up, which is nice 

Especially since we hardly get to see them
And so many things have changed in five years.

Christmas Is In The Air

And it smells like lots of gifts, too much money spent,
A sibling and in-law, plus distant relatives.

At least there were a few fun parties and dinners,
Work celebrations and early presents.

I miss my grandma, and I'm not sure how this will go,
But here we are so put on that smile and let it go.

Life is Complicated

Relationships are tricky,
The giving and the taking,
The care and the comfort,
The hopes and the hurt.

If eyes are the window to the soul,
They change and they weep,
They smile and they laugh,
They give and they take.

I'm a fixer;
I like to take broken pieces and make it whole,
Take problems and make them better,
Encourage others and help, even when I can't.

I went to group on Tuesday,
And then bad things happened.
Laurie got mad and refuses to come over.
Erin is stubborn and doesn't want the gifts.

It's a selfish culture,
It's all about what you feel right now,
With little to no thought to the future.
Or anyone else, for that matter.

Life is crazy, life is tough,
The world is a huge asshole.
But the world is not all there is in this life.
And people are valuable no matter what.

We Take The Tidbits

We take the tidbits in life,
The little things that give us hope,
And weave it into something to live for.

The kind word, the simple smile, the faintest hope
That something good is going to come.
That is what we people do.

Through pain comes beauty, if we let it.
And it only takes a little hope
To turn the darkest day into something beautiful.

We give anger, we give pain,
Just as much as we receive it ourselves.
But we also are capable of so much more.

There is always hope upon this earth.
So much shadow, so much death,
But always Hope, as long as our Maker is here.

We take the little things
And make something beautiful,
Just like the One who created us.