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Suicide Zen Forgiveness


I want to share this #GiftFromAndrea and my #gratitudeAttitude

Elaine says “I have learned that sharing your story can be a way to lighten your burden. My guests all have a story. Come listen in, it may be similar to your own story. You may find a helping of hope for you or someone who matters to you”.

In Season Two we branch out to cover mental health, depression, anxiety and all the myriad bits that make life as we know it.. challenging, some days more than others. 

Trigger Warning:

Suicide Zen Forgiveness podcast is for education only. Some of the subject matter could be triggering for those newly grieving, or in a poor state of mental health. Please call you local suicide hotline, or mental health office if you need immediate help.

 

Dec 20, 2022

This episode is a little different...

With this being the Holiday Season 2022, I want to talk a little about some of the holidays that happen this December.

We are taking a hiatus until the 10th of January  so this is the final show of season 3...

I’m going to mention a few of the holidays coming up..with a little info on each of them.

Dec 18th

Hannukah began Dec 18th this year and continues for 8 nights until de 26th

The Jewish Festival of Rededication, also called the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day celebration that falls each year on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, which generally falls in December in the Gregorian calendar. (In 2022, Hanukkah is December 18 through December 26.) Hanukkah, also referred to as Chanukah, celebrates the rededication of the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games, and gifts.

Dec 21st 

Blue Christmas (US)

Blue Christmas is a Western Christian tradition that happens on or around the longest night of the year, usually December 21 the Winter Solstice. It is about comforting fellow Christians who are grieving and struggling to find joy and hope during the season.

Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice marks the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere), all thanks to the tilt of the earth. In many cultures, the day is a day of feasting and celebration, but even if you’re totally agnostic, you can still find a reason to rejoice, because after today, you’ll see gradually shorter nights and longer days, which means you can look forward to the emergence of spring.

Yule (UK)

Yule comes up on December 21, on the winter solstice. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year, as the Sun gets its lowest elevation in the sky. Apart from the marking of a new season, the winter solstice also holds a significant symbol for the Sun. It appears to stand still on this day, it’s believed that the Sun is going through a rebirth. It would then gain momentum after the solstice. The holiday also depicts several pagan beliefs, especially that of the Holly King handing over power to the Oak King, ushering in a new season of light.

Dec 23rd 

Festivus 

Festivus is on December 23 and it’s perfect for those who don’t have a traditional holiday to celebrate. Although it sounds paradoxical, its purpose makes a lot of sense. Not everyone has a major holiday to celebrate like Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa and they can feel left out. This holiday gives many people a non-denominational and non-commercial holiday to call their own. Festivus is for everybody!

Dec 25th
Christmas

Every year on December 25, we celebrate Christmas, a day for spending time with family, observing an important Christian holiday, partaking in lighthearted traditions, or just spreading some holiday cheer! Christmas has evolved over several millennia into a worldwide celebration that’s both religious and secular and chock full of fun-filled, family activities.

Dec 26th 

Kwanzaa 

Heri Za Kwanzaa! Kwanzaa, celebrated from December 26 to January 1, is an African American and pan-African seven-day cultural holiday that celebrates family and community. During the holiday, families celebrate with feasts, music, and dance, and end the holiday with a day dedicated to reflection and recommitment to the seven principles. 

Boxing day

Boxing Day is held every December 26th in many countries associated with the British empire. It started as a day to give gifts to the household staff of Britain’s upper classes but has morphed into a sort of shopping holiday of its own. In fact, its one of the most popular days to return Christmas gifts to the stores.

St Stephen's day in Ireland

Dec 26th St. Stephen’s Day is still referred to as the Day of the Wren, especially in rural Ireland. Due to its Catholic roots, St. Stephen’s Day has been a holiday in Ireland for many years. It was only in 1871 that it became a public holiday after the Bank Holidays Act of 1871 was passed.

Dec 28th

National Call a Friend Day 

Christmas is over and New Year’s is on its way. But in the meantime, December 28 is National Call a Friend Day! Between the stress of the daily grind at work, the needs of your family, and ensuring you have a little time for yourself, our lives can get awfully hectic. National Call a Friend Day reminds us all to take a few minutes, pick up the phone, and call that friend you’ve been meaning to get back in touch with. In modern times, technology has the capacity to unite us more than ever before. The internet isn’t fazed by distance, time zones, or how much money you have in the bank. But in our day to day lives of whizzing from one task to the next (or even multi-tasking on all our projects at once), technology often has the opposite effect. Checking emails, answering texts, responding to Facebook notifications, and other tech-based tasks can fill up our lives and actually make us feel less connected to the people we’re spending all our time connecting with! So with the holiday season rapidly drawing to a close this year, make an effort on December 28 to reach out with a phone call and connect, voice to voice, with a good friend.

 

Dec 31st

Hogmanay

Hogmanay is a Scottish word meaning “the last day of the year.” It’s celebrated in Scotland on New Year’s Eve, when Scots host house parties and exchange gifts. The celebrations are often followed by parties on both New Year’s Day and January 2, which is a bank holiday in Scotland. While the origins of Hogmanay are hard to pinpoint, its roots are thought to lie in Norse and Gaelic traditions.

New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve comes but once a year on December 31, the last day of the last month of what usually feels like the longest year ever but somehow passed too quickly.

Most of us give little thought as to why we ceremoniously say goodbye to one year and hello to a new one on December 31.  Even those who don’t make special plans to greet the arrival of a new year at the stroke of midnight on December 31 pay homage to the rite with thoughts of the year gone by and hopes for the year to come.



This was a bit lighter fare, with a few interesting dates and information. 

However,  this can be such a tough time of year for anyone.   Thinking of  each of you through this  often difficult time. 

 

Many folks struggle during the holidays. Some people are overwhelmed with sadness. Some are simply overwhelmed.  Reach out and talk to someone.. say hello. to a neighbour, a store clerk, someone you pass on the street.. 

 

Smile

 

Facial expressions do more than express emotions, they also provide feedback to the brain, which influences our emotions.

 

A new global collaboration led by researchers at Stanford University has shown that even fake or posed smiles can make people feel happier.

 

May the light of the holidays bring warmth and love into your household, and here's to hoping for a better year ahead.

Thank you for listening. 

Season 3 of The suicide Zen Forgiveness podcast comes to a close.. 

I will be taking the next few weeks to take stock of the year that has passed...and prepare for the new year to come...

Let us know if there are topics you would like me to cover.. 

Guests you would like me to talk with.. 

I will return on January 10th, 2023