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As I write this, I am literally wiping the tears off my eyes.

This evening, I sat on the living room floor with my husband, fussing over wrapping presents for the family for Christmas. We sent the kids away to my parents where we will be meeting tomorrow so that we can finish up our shopping and cleaning the house.

While wrapping the gifts, I must admit that I wasn’t really feeling the Christmas spirit this year. This year has been a rough one for our family, like many. In my pursuit to follow my dreams, I have left a higher-paying management job to concentrate on my cooking and writing. Financially, it was going to be tight, but doable.

Simultaneously after resigning from my job to work at as a receptionist, my husband had a serious knee injury that required surgery and took him out of work for the entire summer, leaving us with just a portion of his paychecks on temporary disability and my new paychecks, which are now less than half of what I made as a restaurant manager.

Of course, we kept on going and actually, many doors and opportunities have come my way since deciding to follow my passions which has been so empowering to me and my family.

Tonight, while wrapping gifts, my husband turned on our Roku and chose a movie on Netflix, called The Christmas Cottage by Lifetime. He obviously didn’t know it was a Lifetime movie, or I doubt he would’ve kept in on! The movie was the inspiring story of the famous painter, Thomas Kinkade, and how he began his career while finding out his mother was in danger of losing their family home (cottage).

The story of finding himself and talents, during life-changing lessons and times is something so many can relate to these days. With so many without jobs, and so many families barely able to afford the necessities, what more the luxuries of life, is so real…and so sad. Yet, there is hope to triumph through the hard times.  Everyone has their awakening moment when they eventually find a new road, a new opportunity or follow a passion. It was a deeply touching movie that I can relate to going through what we have recently gone through as a family, as well as what I am experiencing at the moment with following my passions in cooking and writing.

The second movie we watched was a little known movie produced by Coronet Films, titled Lifted which Eckhart Tolle reviewed to be “A beautiful story – uplifting – inspiring  and healing!”, according to their website. And I must say, that I agree with him 100%.

This movie was about a southern military family and their struggles as a family and individuals. The story centers around the son, who has a great talent in singing and the father’s deployment to Afganistan, as well as the mother’s drug abuse. What a compelling story of a families struggle through life, yet still finding a way to do what is right and continue to fight the good fight through difficult situations.

There was rarely a time that my eyes were dry through this movie. Maybe, I am feeling like a bit of an underdog right now in my life; like the chips are stacked against me. I am excited as well as overwhelmed about the road I have chose to take with Momma Cuisine. I have many things I want to share and excited that so far, people seem to respond positively to my mission as Momma Cuisine.

I know that I have a talent and passion that I want to share. Yet, life well, is life. Things happen, money runs out, accidents occur, struggle is inevitable. But, watching these movies this evening reminded met that those who are able to touch people most effectively, are those who have a REAL story to share, real experiences life experiences to teach, and who are able to see through their pains and struggles to find their calling.

Everyone has a journey. But the underlining theme is that no matter how difficult life can become and how low of a point you can reach, that everything is possible with love. I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday spent with your loved ones and focus on the real meaning of the season.

Merry Christmas to all and God bless you!