big surprise right? i know a lot of people get depressed around the hoildays. i just started back on my diet/exercise on monday. i didn't do either on christmas eve day or christmas (today). now i feel sooo bad. tomorrow i will get back on track; i am cooking some baked chicken and soup for the week right now. but i found this christmas to be especially hard on me. i am feeling overwhelmed with the holiday, motherhood, i am sick, and everyone around me seems to be so happy. do these people not have any problems? i am being pretty withdrawn but i feel bad about it cause my grandma is in town (i hardly see her) and that adds to the depression. but i do recognize one positive thing; even if i have to force myself, once i get out there and around my family, i feel better. even if it's just a little. it helps. i know the world may be a ****** up place, but i'd rather be in it.

My dear, yes, there are some things wrong with this world, but I believe there are more good things in it, than bad. You have good health, and a beautiful baby/child, and a family that loves you. If you have a warm roof over your head and food on your table, you are a very blessed person on this earth. Sooo ... you ate a little more during one of the most wonderful times of the year; well, that means you had abundance and that is a blessing. So now, we move on and focus on healthy again, and that's a blessing too.

I would bundle up that child and do whatever I needed to get near grandma and family as much as possible; call them up and ask if you can join them wherever they are. Don't spend your time alone: have a friend over for a modest lunch. There is so much beauty in this world: seek it and you will find it! Get out there when you can and enjoy your life!

We all have times when we feel a bit down; but we don't have to let it rule every minute of every day. This is a choice! When I was single and alone, I would dress up warm and head to the nearest mall, where I met many nice people, believe it or not. I also met people at church and social clubs (a group of us would get together to play games and such). Look around for something, and if you can't find one, maybe you could start one.

We have a club here called SOS: which means, SAVE OUR SERENITY! They meet 1-2 times a week and just do fun things together. They have potluck lunches or breakfasts: they often get donations for that. They chat over coffee and do crafts or go for a walk around town together ... laughing and yakking it up. They have birthday parties and Christmas parties and on and on and on ... It evolved over time and is a wonderful group. Maybe you could get a couple of friends to start a group like that.

Will send up some prayers for you and I really hope that you find a way to spend some time with your family while you can. I am older and would love to be able to spend time with my grannies and my mother, and a couple of aunties who have all passed on ... Seize the day, my dear ... seize the day!

... I mean this sincerely, and with love ROSEBUD