I Love Christmas!!

Christmas is fantastic. Definitely my favorite Holiday. It is just really special. It has all the elements of a perfect day. It is exciting, spiritual, fun, chill, and filled with family. My Christmas this year will be different than most. I will not be spending it with alot of family, and my family is much different now anyways. There won't be tons of people around. No small kids running around on a sugar buzz or yelling about Santa Clause coming.
But it has made me rethink the meaning of Christmas. Even if there isn't much of a "celebration" with presents, food, or family around... Christmas is still special.
People are always a bit nicer and look out for each other more. There isn't as much selfishness in the world during the Christmas season. I really do think the spirit of Christ just permeates the air more during this time. I love the lights. I love the music. I love that the snow and decorations. It all just makes me happy.
And Christmas always boosts my testimony of Christ. How special it is that He was born here to give His life for us. God loves us so much. It always helps me to remember that. It makes life easier.
Anyways, I just know that this Christmas will be very special and will help me to focus more on the Savior and the TRUE meaning of Christmas.

Pain... Does it just become more Numb or Does it go away?

So... I have been thinking lately about Loss. Probably sparked by the two year anniversary of the day my own mom died. But the question I am thinking is this. Does the pain ever really go away or does it just become more numb over time? I feel that in my own pain, it has stopped become such a constant hurt but when something triggers it, the pain stings just as sharply as when I first heard the news on the phone.
 I am definitely disturbed by insensitive people that have told me to "get over it" too. Or that seem startled when I still get emotional or have "down days." I don't think you can ever get over something like that. How am I supposed to pretend that one of the biggest impacts on my life doesn't matter anymore, and I have stopped feeling that void in my life? I don't think it's possible. And I can't and don't want to replace my mom either. I would like to think that people are special, and can't merely be bought out or updated when they run out or get old.
I find it fascinating too how we all try to cope with the pain of loss. Some people bottle it up, and pretend that they are totally fine and that nothing bad has ever happened to them. Others look for cures to their pain. In church, in therapy, in talking to friends, etc. They want to "fix" it. Others just keep so busy that they don't ever have to think and they numb themselves to the hurt. I think I am a combination of the three.
But I do wonder if it ever goes away.... I don't really think it does, but just that we become more calloused and tell ourselves things to give us hope of a better day. And yes that better day will most definitely come because of the gospel of Jesus Christ and his atonement... but in the meantime...?

Social Media

Well... I guess this is my first attempt to embrace the social media that surrounds all of us. I should have started blogging years ago, but it fell to the bottom of my to-do lists. So today my question is this: after we have all these many social media devices surrounding us everywhere.... does it really help to connect us to people or are we more isolated than ever as a society? I feel that we are able to talk to people that we wouldn't normally get to stay in touch with. For instance, I am able to chat with people from Kenya, Mississippi, and Louisiana that I wouldn't normally get to. But last night I found it amusing that me and my five friends were all in the same room, and yet we weren't talking. We were all on facebook or twitter. So in a weird way, I felt isolated even though I was surrounded by people. So I am still debating the pros and cons behind the technology that our world has created...