Praying for a Christmas Miracle, asking for Prayers Frens...
🧘Mental/Physical Health 🏋🏼♂️
If anyone sees this and has time, please pray for my brother and my family this Christmas. There has been some underlying conflict and turmoil for years between my brother and the rest of my family, but this year has been the worst. It looks to be a very sad Christmas for us this year, and we're just hoping and praying my brother doesn't hurt himself or others because of this. Please pray for his conversion, and that maybe someday there can be peace and unity in our family again. I will also pray for everyone here on the site and for your families. God bless.
If he has kids he should want peace in the family for Christmas for them, and if not he should do it for your mom. I can imagine her suffering. No blame, no pulling off scabs of past wounds, just PEACE!
The Peace of Christ be with you all!
Thank you. He isn't married, but you are right that he should do it for our mom. She's suffered the most over the years because of the things he's said and done. She prays for him constantly, always hopeful he'll return home like the prodigal son. I will be sure to pray for you and your family too.
I experienced family horror at spouse-anon's family Christmases and other times as well. It was SHOCKING to me and traumatic! And unnecessary, why people indulge themselves in acting out in front of others at CHRISTMAS! EVERYONE was miserable! NO ONE gained anything! Pain regenerates more pain. Awful! And we poor in-laws and our young children! What were we to think or do??
Sadly those dynamics have indeed affected our own family over the years, and M-I-L may be the death of me yet, and I am not totally kidding.
So thank you for your prayers too!
They didn't "go with the flow"! Everything had to be PERFECT which of course created unrealizable expectations and strain. Perfect meal, perfect carving of the bird, everyone perfectly executing their assigned presumed roles. TOO many gifts. etc. etc. The perfect is the enemy of the good.
No peacemaker! When the inevitable eruption occurred, sides were taken. Reenacting the failed script of Christmases past. At least that is my take as an outsider. Almost leaning forward for the reenactment. Prepared to reprise their roles.
A few years ago In our home we were reprising a traditional Twelfth Night gathering of some of my family. My kid-anon was freaking out about getting one of the dishes PERFECT. I said, well let's just call them and call it off. The purpose is for us to ENJOY each others' company! NOT to get stressed out for the meal to be perfect! Well we went on to have a wonderful evening.
I do understand your mother's constant prayers. One of my aunts prayed for her son every night, wrapping the rosary around her fingers. She would fall asleep, but wake again to continue her prayers. It worked.
May PEACE reign in your family for this and every Christmas! And yeah every day of every year!
I wish all of us a Christmas of the Heart!
I'm so sorry you've had such bad experiences around Christmas too fren. The stress of this time of year really does get to everyone. It's not exactly Christmas-time that brought out some bad stuff from my brother, more like years and years of him never helping himself or self-improving even with constant financial or counseling help from our family. He refuses to get back on track. The strain he's put on my aging parents is just too much.
My mom is the same as your aunt, she prays every day and night, her rosary always in her hand. I do believe that someday our prayers will be heard and answered, but it seems like God is saying "Not yet." So we'll just have to keep praying and waiting, but I have faith that things will get better.
I wish you a Merry Christmas as well!
So unfair to your parents; he sounds like a lost soul. Miracles do happen but we can't change anyone else. Blessings!
IDK what possesses him or what he's been through but you have to understand, life can be hard. I pray he finds peace <3
I grew up with him and even I'm not entirely sure. I have some ideas, but unless he got some kind of mental or spiritual help to sort of diagnose the problem I may never know.
I know life is hard, but he acts like it was only ever hard on him, and not on my parents or me and our other siblings. We all grew up financially strained and my parents practically broke their backs to put us kids through school, and even more so for my brother who had learning troubles. The difference between him and myself and my other siblings is that we all did our best to learn in school to get the most we could out of our educations. He squandered it all the time and took it for granted. He never once appreciated the sacrifices my family made to help him.
Thank you for your prayers though, they are appreciated. I will pray for you and your family too.