It’s OK If You’re Not Feeling Merry

The holidays are often wrapped in lights, laughter, and expectations of joy...but what if that’s not where your heart is this season?

If December feels more heavy than merry, you’re not alone. In this episode, we create space for honest conversation, faith-filled encouragement, and permission to slow down. We explore how God meets us not just in celebration, but in quiet reflection, unanswered prayers and even grief. 

You don’t have to force joy or fake cheer to be faithful. If expectations, obligations, or traditions feel overwhelming, it’s okay to step back. Celebrating quietly, simply, or differently may be exactly what you need this year; it can even help you keep your focus on the reason for the season.

This episode is a reminder that God’s peace doesn’t always come wrapped in sparkle, it often arrives gently, one day at a time. If you’re craving grace, reassurance, or a moment to breathe and reset this Christmas season, press play and listen now.

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WATCH Lanee's movie on Amazon Prime:  "REKINDLED FOR CHRISTMAS"

CDC List of Mental Health Resources

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"Imagine Yourself" is hosted by Lanée Blaise and Sandy Kovach—two dynamic voices with a passion for inspiring and uplifting others. Lanée, a TV writer, producer, motivational speaker, and podcaster, brings powerful storytelling and insight. Sandy, a radio personality, voiceover artist, and podcaster, delivers warmth and wisdom with every conversation. Broadcasting from the Detroit Metro area, they welcome guests from around the world to share valuable perspectives on health, career growth, faith, and personal transformation. Tune in and imagine the possibilities for your life!

Transcript

Lanée Blaise [00:00:01]:
Hello, everybody. Happy holidays to you from me and from Sandy. We wanted to dedicate an episode to aspects of the holiday season that some people don't always remember. The holidays can often be a time of reflection and busyness and thinking back to the way things were or the way we wish things were in a way. Of course, reflection can be good, but sometimes when we have things that just didn't go the way we want, or we have people who aren't here physically in this world anymore, it really can be a little tough or very tough. Sometimes it's very difficult. My husband seems to think that so. So many people pass away right around November and December and early January.

Lanée Blaise [00:00:59]:
And we always think it just makes it even harder to get through the holidays when you're already trying to balance gift giving and running here and there and events and programs and closing out the end of the year for work or life or getting ready for taxes, you know, all the things that can hit, you know, and we just wanted to dedicate this episode to. To anyone who is feeling the weight of it all. And we want to offer a few ways to try to lift some of that weight off some different ways of doing things. I know lots of people are out and joyful and sparkly and busy, and we love that. We embrace that. We want that. But we also want to balance it with the folks who are just really trying to make it through each day and steady themselves. And so overall, we're going to imagine ourselves getting through the holiday season with our peace intact, with a sense of centeredness.

Lanée Blaise [00:02:02]:
And Sandy is going to take it away with the very first thing, because we have several different things that we want to just remember and keep in mind.

Sandy Kovach [00:02:12]:
So one of the things that a lot of us deal with on maybe a lighter note is the looking around trap. But just because it's a lighter note doesn't mean it doesn't affect us really, seriously. And basically what I'm talking about is we look around and see other people. Whether, you know, maybe we're single and we see couples, or maybe we see people with kids or grandkids and we wish that was us. Maybe we see people with big families and our family situation is completely dysfunctional, or maybe we're alone for Christmas and so we're looking around, or maybe we have unanswered prayers that we thought, hey, things were gonna be different this year and we're still waiting on God to move unrealized opportunities or dreams and just, you get to the end of the year, it's kind of what you intimated to it isn't just the holidays, but it's also. Here we are, the end of another year and XY&Z hadn't happened. God's delays are not God's denials. And Amen.

Sandy Kovach [00:03:12]:
Yeah, I mean, and you're someone to speak to that. We'll be speaking a little bit about your situation and how long you had to wait for a dream of yours to come to pass. And I kind of want to pick your brain on it. Maybe we'll just go ahead and do that now. So you just had a very successful movie premiere of a Christmas movie. What was it called again?

Lanée Blaise [00:03:32]:
So this movie is called Rekindled for Christmas. Even the title kind of suggests that kind of back that reflection past and present and future things. But Rekindled for Christmas is a little. It's just an adorable little Christmas rom com. And it has the main character. She's struggling to try to please her family and do things the right way. She ends up doing things not the right way. She has a friend.

Lanée Blaise [00:04:04]:
Yeah, Catawampa's way. She has a friend who is trying to be the voice of reason and get her back on track. But we're human, we're imperfect, and. And the movie's only an hour and a half long and it's on Amazon prime. So I truly ask or even beg of any of you to just take a look at it. It's on Amazon prime. You've got to rent it. But it's just a cute little movie.

Lanée Blaise [00:04:27]:
And it is the realization of a dream that I had. And even bigger than a dream that I had. I had always wanted to write for television and film. And so now I have been able to write and produce. So God can many times give you more, more than what you asked for. But yeah, I have blended and then now I have Rekindled for Christmas and I keep continue to do other projects, but it took time. I thought it was a denial, but it was actually a delay. And I do believe that God answers prayers not always the way that we want, not always in the timing that we want, but when we reflect in good ways, we can see some of the.

Lanée Blaise [00:05:09]:
The blessings that he's done that we didn't realize at the time. So all that stuff about looking around at all my different friends who already had produced their movie or already had the financial gain and the notoriety for it, we've got to watch out for that. We got to look inward and upward instead of around.

Sandy Kovach [00:05:29]:
Yeah, inward and upward, exactly. So we look inward because we're taking an assessment of our own selves. Why are we stressing? I mean, we're stressing because our dream might not be coming true, but there might be something more in our background. There might be a reason we're feeling insecure because a lot of times it's not just comparison, but it's comparison over certain things. Like, I don't get upset if I see Mark Zuckerberg and his billions of dollars walking around like, gee, I wish I invented Facebook.

Lanée Blaise [00:06:01]:
But it doesn't come up.

Sandy Kovach [00:06:03]:
No, it doesn't. But if I think to myself, talking about, talking about families, I have a very small family. It was slightly dysfunctional growing up. I wouldn't say I come from a dysfunctional family or anything, but I definitely had a few difficult circumstances and I have one child and I am remarried. I was divorced and we tried to have more kids, but it didn't work out. As plenty of women and men know that this can happen. So I've had my share of disappointments and for a while, and I don't really do this so much now, I would look around at these big families like Linnae's or, you know, and most of my extended family doesn't live here in Michigan. I do have some really close cousins that do.

Sandy Kovach [00:06:45]:
So I'm lucky. But I depend a lot on my husband's family. I'm very close to his mother. She is my mother in law. So maybe what I would say to someone who has maybe lost their parents, live away from their family or any of the circumstances I described or others appreciate what you have. I appreciate my husband. I love my son. I got my little pets.

Sandy Kovach [00:07:07]:
They have stockings hung up too. Max and Belle, you know, I mean, a lot of people do that for their pets, so I get it.

Lanée Blaise [00:07:15]:
I even love the part where the love that you have for your mother in law or mother in love is beautiful too. Like you said, you are savoring the person that God does have before you in that role. And sometimes you can be that person for someone else too. I think you and I used to talk a lot about how now we're like the aunties in quotations, but we do serve as aunties sometimes for folks who are having a hard time or who need a little bit of a older, wiser, more aged, seasoned, seasoned.

Sandy Kovach [00:07:51]:
I like that better.

Lanée Blaise [00:07:52]:
Yes, cheese. Aged cheese and seasoned goodness. But yes, we need a little. Even my shirt right now says sparkle like champagne. They just need a little, you know, that age like fine wine type of thing. But to try to be that for others and to try to seek the people who are really filling some of the roles that you may have wished for. And that may be the answered prayer right there.

Sandy Kovach [00:08:18]:
There it is. God puts us in different circumstances, and we have no idea why things happen the way they do. And one day, you know, when we meet the Lord, we'll find out. And sometimes he lets us know or we figure it out right here on Imagine Yourself podcast.

Lanée Blaise [00:08:35]:
Hey, that's right. That's right. I know that we start off, we're talking about, like, how sometimes the season doesn't feel so festive for folks, but it doesn't mean that it can't be faithful still, sometimes Christmas and all the busyness, if we could take some time to be quiet, alone, still waiting on God, looking to God, talking to God, listening for God. I just saw something on Instagram, and the lady said that she never knew that Advent, the Advent season before Christmas, is really about being still and centered and quiet as we await the good news of the Lord coming to the earth. And I had never heard that or thought that. And I never really even thought much about the Advent season. No. But I'd seen it, like, in some Bible studies sometimes, but I never actually took one, so I never really thought about it as a child.

Lanée Blaise [00:09:36]:
It was not really brought up. But now I'm starting to wonder if we don't have to worry about the festive component and the jolly, merry part of Christmas, but if we really sit and think about the quiet, still component of our Savior has come to save us, to redeem us, to pour into us, and that might make it a little bit more tolerable, easy to bear.

Sandy Kovach [00:10:05]:
Yeah. Because a lot of us, we want Christmas to be so special. And we're working hard, you know, to make it special for our kids or grandkids or whatever, special for ourselves.

Lanée Blaise [00:10:18]:
And.

Sandy Kovach [00:10:19]:
And so many times, you know, we're trying to make Christmas magic. We're running around, like you said, we're busy and trying to be sparkly and joyful. But I saw a quote that said, you don't have to create a magical Christmas. The miracle already happened. And I thought, wow, Bash, that hit me on the head. We're celebrating, like you said, the birth of our savior, the Prince of peace.

Lanée Blaise [00:10:44]:
Yes.

Sandy Kovach [00:10:44]:
That changed the world.

Lanée Blaise [00:10:46]:
I know.

Sandy Kovach [00:10:46]:
We're not trying to outshine Jesus. I'm not saying that. But we're trying to make it about us. We're trying to make it about how big is my Christmas tree and all. That's great. I'm not down on sparkly things or giving a wonderful dinner party with matching this and that. I think that that's amazing. I love that.

Sandy Kovach [00:11:04]:
The pressure, the pressure, the pressure, the pressure away that it has to be.

Lanée Blaise [00:11:08]:
Perfect, it has to be magical. Everything has to be. Decorate it to the hilt. And none of that is necessary.

Sandy Kovach [00:11:16]:
Yeah. I mean, look what happened to Clark Griswold when he tried to. On Christmas vacation without and put that.

Lanée Blaise [00:11:23]:
Electric socket and done.

Sandy Kovach [00:11:28]:
So think about that when you're trying to overdo Christmas. Say, I am not Clark Griswold.

Lanée Blaise [00:11:34]:
Yes.

Sandy Kovach [00:11:34]:
Or however. Or just, you know, let's be serious about it and say, remember the reason for the season. Whatever works for you.

Lanée Blaise [00:11:42]:
Both.

Sandy Kovach [00:11:42]:
Both work.

Lanée Blaise [00:11:43]:
Now, since we're talking about fictional characters, I wanted to bring up A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I wanted to just talk about that whole component of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future. Because at the very beginning of this episode, we talked about how the end of the year, maybe not even Christmas so much, but the whole New Year's is coming, really can make us start reflecting. And sometimes we need like a little, I don't want to say a ghost of Christmas Past to come in and. But like to really show us the blessings that we have, the blessing that we are to others. I know that movie also A Wonderful Life where he didn't realize if he had never been born, all of the things that would have never materialized, that would have been very sad would have been gone a really bad direction. So sometimes, I know these are fictional movies and books, but sometimes we really do need to focus on the fact that we are here for a reason. All of us have a certain time period.

Lanée Blaise [00:12:55]:
We have an expiration date and that God does want us to live while we are still here and to share and to again reflect in good ways, not only on the unmet expectations and the unrealized dreams and the non opportunities, but to reflect on the great things that swung in our direction and the people. And I really like that past, present and future component that that whole book embodied.

Sandy Kovach [00:13:29]:
Yeah, it was important for Ebenezer. Not that our listeners are anything close to Ebenezer Scrooge, but just the fact that he looked at his childhood. In his case, he saw negative things, but he also saw very positive things. Like, I remember his relationship with his sister was very special. He saw the effect that he had on people, both negative and positive. And then the present, you know, what he could do in the present. He helped Tiny Tim. And then the future, like if he was gonna go down that path, that's not such a good thing.

Sandy Kovach [00:13:59]:
But he changed it so we can't predict the future obvious for ourselves. And we're not gonna have anybody showing us around in the past, present and future like the ghosts in the Christmas story. But we can dream with God. We can pray. Put on my heart what is on your heart for me. Help me to strive after that and help me to trust in you. And that, like Lynne was saying about the movie thing. Trust that a delay is not a denial.

Sandy Kovach [00:14:27]:
That big things, even bigger things could be coming for me next year.

Lanée Blaise [00:14:31]:
Yeah, we have to. Because for so many people, 2025 has been a hard year. It has been hard as far as industries and businesses and politics and economy. And again, like I said, people who in our own personal lives have passed away, job losses, all these different things are going on. It is nothing to dismiss at all. And yet, just like God gives us new mercies every morning, even if darkness is in the. In the night. A friend of mine said last night, her name is Arleth, as she said many times, the biggest darkness comes before the dawn.

Lanée Blaise [00:15:15]:
And this is a signal that a beautiful dawn is really on its way to coming to fruition. It's that hope. It's that element of hope. So I really want us to focus on what we can do in the present, you know, to keep our heart strong, to keep our extension to others in love strong. And that is what will give rise to a great future. Continued faith as well.

Sandy Kovach [00:15:39]:
And joy comes in the morning. It's right there in scripture. And like you said, God's mercies are new every morning. Thank God for that. His grace is new every morning. Whether we sometimes are having a hard time. Because whatever circumstances we're in, we are actually responsible for that. That's not the job thing or any of those things.

Sandy Kovach [00:15:58]:
But sometimes we did something, and now we're living in those circumstances. But we have to forgive ourselves. And so whether it's something in a relationship that broke up, whether it's a job loss, whether it's just struggling with all the craziness in the world, we have to believe that joy comes in the morning and that God has a plan and it's bigger than us. To me, that's what you have to fall back on. Because you can't fall back on something you can change. Because most things you've got no control over. And the things you do, like you said, what you're focusing on being proactive in certain things. Like if you're out of a job, obviously you focus on Getting a new one or whatever.

Sandy Kovach [00:16:37]:
I'm not saying sit back and just wait on God for everything, but pray for direction and hopefully a better 2026 is there for all of us.

Lanée Blaise [00:16:46]:
I pray that, too. This, this is really fun because this is our. I didn't even think about it, but this is our last episode that we're putting out for the year of 2025. And I'm listening to what you're saying. I'm listening to what we're saying. I'm needing this just as much as anybody else because I have had some. Even with the success of Rekindled for Christmas, I've had some recent disappointments with some of the other projects that we thought were a sure thing and were going to happen. And we've gotten an unexpected no.

Lanée Blaise [00:17:16]:
Like it was a yes that turned to a no. And many times that's disappointing. There's been some health issues for different family members that they're really struggling with. Just a lot of things. But I'm listening as we're talking and I'm just thinking about, yeah, we are asking God for God's direction. We're asking God for God's dreams and plans for our lives. We're asking God for comfort and peace and help and please, please just help us. Just touch us, touch our hearts, touch our minds, lead us and comfort us while we're struggling.

Lanée Blaise [00:17:52]:
Because, yeah, a lot of us are kind of. We've got some struggles going on. And again, with it being Christmas time and with so much Christmas cheer and joy, we really had to just take a moment to say something, to just give some balance, to give some perspective for those who even to the fact that it's okay to not feel merry.

Sandy Kovach [00:18:16]:
Yes, indeed it is okay. Please don't feel like. If you feel like you're gonna be a drag at a party, don't go to the party or go to the party. And if people don't like it, tough. I'm not saying go around and just stand in a corner. If you feel that bad, then probably better to stay home or, you know, I even saw someone was saying they wanted to do a quiet Christmas Eve this year. They need it.

Lanée Blaise [00:18:43]:
You can do a Christmas with you sitting at your table and you put a placemat right across from you and Jesus is your invited guest. Yeah. Honestly, my mom, my mom said that she is going to spend Christmas by herself. Ever since COVID she does not like to travel during the holidays. She said it's so busy, the airports are slammed, people are coughing all over her. She's just like, I don't want it. And I'm like, but that means you won't see me at Christmas. She's like, Nope.

Lanée Blaise [00:19:12]:
See, in 2026 and my sister will be spending time with her husband's family. She's like, I'll be fine. I'm like, are you sure? She's like, yep. I already have planned what I'm going to eat that evening and I'm going to sit and I'm going to say my little prayers and, and eat my food and enjoy myself and maybe watch a Christmas movie. And says she is fine with a capital F. I'm like, okay, I get it. She no longer wants to participate in the hustle and bustle of holiday travel and busyness. Maybe we can adjust that next year.

Lanée Blaise [00:19:46]:
Maybe I'll go to her or something like that. But she doesn't want to do it. And I want to encourage all of us to if it's pressure, take the pressure off. If something is feeling like it's burdensome, but it's the holidays and you feel obliged, consider letting go of that feeling of obligation and burden and pressure and stress.

Sandy Kovach [00:20:07]:
Wow. And that's a big step. I'm glad you talked about that. Or even if it's a little thing like, you know, you were gonna show up and bake cookies for something and you're just not feeling it, the world won't end. It's okay to say no to events and obligations. There may be some you feel like you can't, but I betcha most it's possible and don't feel weird about if it bothers you to see people on social media doing all these holiday festivities and you're not into it, take the app off your phone, do whatever you need to do. Stay off social media if that's a trigger for you. And I know it's hard, especially during this time of year, and it can be joyful, but it can be a drag if you are not feeling it.

Sandy Kovach [00:20:53]:
We got along without social media back in the day. Yes, we did.

Lanée Blaise [00:20:58]:
Yes, we did.

Sandy Kovach [00:20:58]:
We had a lot of great holiday memories and a lot of good times. So that may be something that you need to step off.

Lanée Blaise [00:21:06]:
If it bothers you, take a little break. Yeah, I guess. What kind of encouraging. Take a break from some of the things that you know are not serving you well right now. Expectations is just a funny thing. You know, it is interesting how many times we feel that others have these expectations of, well, if I don't do this, if I don't bring the Cookies. If I don't show up, then everybody's going to be. People are busy doing their own things.

Lanée Blaise [00:21:31]:
People are not all worried about you.

Sandy Kovach [00:21:35]:
They might like your cookies, but they'll live.

Lanée Blaise [00:21:38]:
But they'll live. Or even if you take a break for this particular year and you're like, hey, if I'm feeling better next year and feeling more up to it, it, I'll be back on it. But I am stepping away, taking a break, preserving my peace, living life the way that I need to at this time to keep myself centered and sane.

Sandy Kovach [00:21:59]:
Yeah, yeah.

Lanée Blaise [00:22:00]:
It's many times about the relaxation. I'm starting to really enjoy relaxation. My husband even told me, he's like, you are just changing. You used to invite people over more. You used to go out more. I'm like, yep, I just, I'm slowing it down because there's other things that keep me busy and that I can't say no to. Kind of like to your point, there are certain things job related or even like if a family member needs me for health reasons, those things I will do, which means I'm going to take some other stuff off of my plate and I am not going to feel guilty. Yeah.

Sandy Kovach [00:22:37]:
So there's the big one that we haven't talked about that you intimated in the beginning of the episode and that is Christmas is hard because you lost somebody special or Christmas is hard because you got a divorce or Christmas is hard because, you know, just a biggie. We both had losses around the holidays and just life happens that way sometimes. And rely on God, rely on who's in front of you, your friends and family. But I came across a song by Toby Mack and it's called Christmas Hits different this Year. And, and I think it was written he lost his adult son not too long ago and it might have been from this period when he put the song out, I just heard it this year for some this season is hardest of all. Fighting the tears as they're decking the halls the bittersweet of every Christmas song Another year of holding on can we find joy in all of the pain? Can a little snow come into a season of rain? Let's take a second to hear the sounds and cherish everyone that's with us right now and everyone we're missing right now. If Christmas hits different this year, you don't have to smile. I know how you feel.

Sandy Kovach [00:23:52]:
If Christmas hits different this year, I'll be right here, I'll be right here. And when he's saying, I'll be right here, I Think that's kind of reflecting that God is with us.

Lanée Blaise [00:24:02]:
Wow.

Sandy Kovach [00:24:03]:
Yeah. I was like, oh, my gosh. I never heard if. I almost started crying.

Lanée Blaise [00:24:08]:
So.

Sandy Kovach [00:24:09]:
There are people around that care and love you. Reach out to them. Don't be afraid to ask for help if someone tells you to get over it. Oh, you've had so much time. I hope nobody says that, but sometimes.

Lanée Blaise [00:24:22]:
People do, and it's a huge misunderstanding in their thinking of time and what you should be feeling at this time or another. But I'm glad you addressed that as well, because I know that we're just Linnae and Sandy, but we are telling you that you take the time that you need to take to grieve and process in the way that you need to. I have a friend who, she recently lost her brother and she just told me she's like, this Saturday, I'm gonna go for my first counseling therapy session ever. But it's because I'm having such a hard time dealing with this unexpected loss. Along with the holidays coming too. I need more reinforcement. I need something and someone professionally to help me move forward through this. I applaud her for that because she, like you said, sometimes we need some help.

Lanée Blaise [00:25:17]:
We need something else because we're feeling stuck in the sadness and the grief, and we want some help in finding some kind of coping mechanism, some kind of ways to steady ourself.

Sandy Kovach [00:25:29]:
Yeah, it can be overwhelming. And professional help. There are a lot of online resources right now that a lot of times, insurance, you know, they become pretty good at covering. If you are a member of a church, many times they'll have a counselor or the pastor himself will be the counselor. Or there's support groups. Grief support groups are great.

Lanée Blaise [00:25:51]:
Yes.

Sandy Kovach [00:25:51]:
People going through it. So helpful to have somebody that's going through the same thing that you're going through or they have gone through it. If you feel in a way that's like you just don't know where to go from here. And if you feel like in any way that you can't, like, you don't want to. I mean, remember 988-is- suicide hotline. 988. And just. I just wanted to throw that out because sometimes we react.

Sandy Kovach [00:26:19]:
Our emotions can take us over in such a strong way. We don't think straight. They are trained, those people in the suicide hotline to help you think straight. Even if you, you know, you're not really thinking, I'm going to do this. But you've. If you've ever had a thought like that.

Lanée Blaise [00:26:34]:
Yeah, this is Real life, real talk, real stuff. Real stuff. Well, I think we are able to wrap it up by again remembering Christmas trees, Christmas lights, all those things are beautiful. But the real reason for this season is the fact that God gave his Son to come to earth as a little baby, to grow, to learn as humans do, to go through the same pains and trials and tribulations. Jesus even wept. Jesus lost his best friend even though he was able to resurrect him right then. Lazarus. But Jesus went through so many things to show us the way, to show us the life, to show us the light that doesn't come from any Christmas tree star.

Lanée Blaise [00:27:28]:
It comes from God. And there is light placed within each of us even if we're not feeling it, even if we don't think we're seeing it at the time. There is light that is embedded within our hearts from our God, that is meant to help us carry on and sh. And when we feel that that light is being dulled, please know that it is understandable, that is human. And again that we can get help in multiple ways. We can try to focus our minds back on God, that there are still some blessings to hold on to in this life we have. And just asking for praying for peace and just making it through that next step, one step at a time. We don't have to match anybody's energy, but we can, you know, we can just take time and just be with ourselves.

Lanée Blaise [00:28:19]:
Kind of do like my mom is doing. She says she is going to be by herself and she's going to savor her time with herself and she's going to be in prayer and have a whole different way of celebrating the holidays.

Sandy Kovach [00:28:31]:
I can't wait to hear how that goes for her.

Lanée Blaise [00:28:33]:
Yeah. Because now that I'm thinking about it, yeah, she at least. Okay, so my sister will be back there over there with her for New Year's. But yeah, that Christmas from that whole chunk. Yeah, I am very interested to see what she says about that too because maybe some of us will take a note on that for future to do a quiet Christmas.

Sandy Kovach [00:28:55]:
Yeah, whatever works for you. Whether it's maybe you're older and you know, you just have your spouse and maybe your kids can't come or you're by yourself like your mom. I mean people find themselves or you know, they've moved away. A younger adult or older adult even moved away from their family for a new job. And was it your brother? No, it was your brother in law that was talking about when he had to work overnight at a hospital for Christmas and how the donut. Did they not give them free donuts or something?

Lanée Blaise [00:29:24]:
Or to try to make it better?

Sandy Kovach [00:29:26]:
Yes.

Lanée Blaise [00:29:27]:
Because that's true. Yeah. We do have to understand. Hospital's still running, the airport's still running, the gas station still running.

Sandy Kovach [00:29:34]:
Yeah. Back in the day when radio used to be 100% live. Yeah. I have worked Christmases and Thanksgivings back in the early part of my career. Yeah. And Cops and. Yes. So many people.

Sandy Kovach [00:29:50]:
And, well, retail people generally have it off. They're putting up with all of this stuff right before and right after. So let's please give grace. Yes. All of our people. Yeah. All of our people. And remember, you never know what someone's going through.

Sandy Kovach [00:30:06]:
It might not be as serious as some of the things we talked about, but it could be serious enough to be affecting them. So be kind. The people you're dealing with, whether it's the TSA agent at the airport or the retail clerk, you're buying something for your mom, you know, whatever the case may be, Grace, kindness, peace.

Lanée Blaise [00:30:26]:
Yes. And sometimes that's where you find the most interesting friendships, too. That can happen, too. You strike up a conversation with someone and, you know, you just see their heart.

Sandy Kovach [00:30:35]:
Yeah.

Lanée Blaise [00:30:35]:
So. So many things. Like I said this, it seems like we have made sure we're pushing all the things into this last episode of the year, because, I don't know, it's just. We need it. We need it. We need it. We need the hope, we need the comfort, we need the peace. One day at a time.

Lanée Blaise [00:30:49]:
That's all that God asks of us, is to just go one day at a time. We just want to say, imagine yourself looking inward and upward and not always worrying about what's going on around us in order to stay centered and peaceful and loving and forgiving to yourself. Especially as we get through the holiday season and as we reflect and move into the next new year. God bless you all. Thank you for always being so supportive of us and have a beautiful, peaceful time this month and beyond.

Sandy Kovach [00:31:31]:
Thank you so much for spending time with us today. We hope this episode gave you something to hold on to. Something encouraging, real, something that maybe reminds you you're not alone on this journey. If you found it helpful, we would love for you to subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you feel LED rating and leaving a comment is a great way to help others find us, too, and to give us some of the feedback that we need, you can always reach out. We'd love to hear from you. Use the text feature in the app, visit imagine yourselfpodcast.com you'll get more faith filled encouragement and content there too, and also ways to connect. We're on Instagram, Facebook and all the links are waiting for you in the show notes.