If you are reading this and you’re feeling down around the holidays, you are not alone.  Although it is a joyful time of year, I know it can be a difficult one as well.  Some people are alone; some just feel alone.  Some people seem like they have the whole world on the outside but they’re really empty on the inside.  Some people are struggling with money or health or addiction.  One of the greatest lessons my father taught me was to be thankful.  If we did not have enough, he was quick to point out those who had even less.  He lived each day with a grateful heart and instilled the same in me.  I am so very proud to see his legacy continue in my little girl.  She can find the good in any situation:  rain, cancelled plans, lack of money, or other trying circumstances.  She seeks the positive.  The American essayist Henry David Thoreau said, “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.”  For me that means not dwelling on the past, or the “fairness” of life.  It means trying to let go of hurts and a bunch of “things” we don’t really need.  Everyone is at different stages in their lives.  It will have highs and lows.  The holidays seem to exacerbate this.  My advice is to love yourself, know that you are enough, and seek God.  For me, faith has carried me though.  So just in case you happen to be looking in on all the shiny, happy people this holiday season, remember that to someone else YOU are the shiny, happy person … and be thankful.