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I love Christmas Newsletters. LOVE them! In fact, I not only read the ones sent to me but I always raid my mom's basket of them as well. The love I have for them is somewhat twisted. I love them because they are SO ridiculously not true to life. I love reading people's one (or two or sometimes even three) page summary of all the perfection they experienced over the year. I love reading about people's perfect children, who get straight A's and excel at each of the 47 activities they are involved in each day. Who always say 'please' and 'thank you' and NEVER whine or get mad. I love reading about their perfect family vacations to the 'Happiest place on earth', with the happiest children on earth and the happiest parents on earth, in the happiest car on earth. I love even more getting updates on the family pets. I imagine everyone wants to hear how Sparky did this year. And I wonder if every person who writes about their dogs think that they are SO clever when they write a phrase like 'As I get older I can't keep up with Sparky as well, so it's more like him walking me'. I saw something new in the slew of newsletters this year that surprised even me. People are now plugging their businesses in their letters. Seriously. I have read more than once, check me out at mylifeisautopia.com. Wow, really?!? In the newsletter?

Reality check!! Something I've learned again and again over the last few years...Life is MESSY!!! There are bumps and bruises along the way. Lots of them. For everyone. No one is exempt from this. No matter how much perfection they cram into a newsletter. Kids get D's in 8th grade geometry (that's right I got a D, and I learned an amazing lesson from my parents that day. I was sitting there worried about what they would say about my D. The boy next to me was worried about what his parents would say about his A-. I went home and showed my report card to my parents. They asked me if I had tried my best. I really had. Angles, volume, area and I just don't get along. They didn't get mad or upset, they just told me the important thing was that I did my best. I think I learned a lot more that day than the boy whose parents really were upset about the A-.). Family vacations are sometimes filled with whiny kids, who are mad that their brother breathed on them or touched their seat. Siblings fight, spouses argue, dogs chew on things they shouldn't. Life is filled with mundane tasks like dishes, laundry and scrubbing toilets. Welcome to reality.

But what a wonderful reality it is. If life really were like all the newsletters that I enjoy reading how boring it would be. Heartache, joy, pain, love, tears and smiles are all part of life. And that's what makes life beautiful. People get cancer, experience infertility, make mistakes, and keep going. Isn't that the best part of all? That life teaches us how strong we actually are. That despite all lifes trials we still serve those around us and find joy in our imperfect lives.

So I will continue reading Christmas Newsletters and loving it. Because they help remind me that I LOVE my imperfect life. There is a song that says: I love this crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful beautiful life. And I think that sums it up perfectly.