Who Knew? Christmas Is All about Giving of Yourself – or – My Montana Christmas!

This was a very different Christmas for me. Not because of where I was, but because of who I was. For the first time in a long time I truly feel like I made a difference in someone's life just by being present and helping in any way I possibly could.

My younger sister just recently extricated herself from an over-decade-long abusive relationship. Her physical and mental health as well as home were in shambles in ways that I won't describe.

Suffice it to say that, the evil, controlling, abusive, disgusting tub-of-goo, (or as Ben liked to call him "Tubby McLardpants") who made her life a living hell for so many years, has exited the building, leaving behind a wake of destruction.

• Watching One Woman’s Dream Become A Reality in Sioux Falls

Together, we cleaned and organized and discarded remnants of a life which had gone off the rails. We talked, laughed and cried into the wee hours of almost every morning we were together. We threw open curtains and blinds to let light into a home where it had not been allowed for months.

We created wonderful new memories while cooking and baking, watching movies, Christmas specials, and playing with her new furry family - 3 gray kittens and a giant Newfoundland puppy named Angel.

Yes, that is a 5-month-old puppy with her mom!

This Christmas season left me feeling happily exhausted and enriched in a way that I wish every one did. It wasn't about presents and parties, light displays and cookies exchanges, it was about family, about rescuing a person you love who was finally ready to allow herself to grab the life preserver instead of passing it on to someone else, again.

Welcome back my dear sister Carolyn! Your new life awaits! Grab it with both hands and don't let go!