I woke up this morning in a Christmas funk. The holidays bring sad thoughts to the surface. Loss has been a theme of 2021. I lost friends this year. I officiated at 25 funerals during 2021. On January 1^st of this year, I responded to a SIDS death with the sheriff’s office. Exactly one week later I responded to another one. It was the shape of things to come. It has been an intense year. I have delivered more death notifications with police officers than I normally do during a year. I suppose the cumulative stress decided to press its weight on me this morning, because the Christmas funk ensued.

As I walked out to the cave to do final preparatory work for tomorrow, I was taken by the beauty of the day. Christmas day will never be this warm again in this part of Texas! I found myself giving thanks. I pulled out my journal and began writing. I consciously chose to give thanks. I wrote about the people who continue to shape my life. I reflected on the blessings of recent days. I reflected on new relationships that have formed this year. And I gave thanks for those who have been a loyal presence for decades. I thought about things I want to do in coming weeks.

Journaling is an effective cure for the Christmas funk.  In fact, journaling will cure most funks. It has to be administered correctly!  During another chapter in my life, I suffered from depression. It was a difficult phase. I journaled then as well. Those entries are difficult to read today. Every page was filled with gloomy thoughts. My thinking was irrational. My judgment was clouded. I eventually ceased journaling because it was fueling the depressive state.

I can affirm today that journaling really is the cure for the emotional funks that we work ourselves into periodically. Every morning I write down what occurred the previous day. The first entry is simply a recounting of the facts. And then I write in a more reflective manner. Why are those events significant?  Who did I meet the previous day?  Who did I get to communicate with during that time period?  How did my interchange with such individuals shape me? What did I learn from them? Or, what did I learn about them?  There are negative experiences that create teachable moments too!  I write about those encounters as well. The primary theme in such reflections is gratitude. The third step in my journaling process is express thanksgiving for the people and situations I met.

I think I will destroy those journals from an earlier era.  I don’t want to reread them. I am excited about reading back over entries from 2021. I have been exceedingly fortunate this year. I am so thankful for the people who continue to shape my life. You are fun and encouraging.  And I learn new things from each of you every day.  The Christmas funk is over. It is a day to choose to joy.