Colossians 3: 15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
Here we go again. It’s the most wonderful time of the year; at least, that is what everyone tells us. I know for us who have experienced the loss of a child, this probably is one of the most difficult times to get through. When we are new in our grief, the words “merry” and “happy” are not easily found in our vocabulary. With families coming together and joyful celebrations everywhere we look, it seems like the hole left in our hearts aches more than ever. Edna St. Vincent Millay says it best, “The presence of that absence is everywhere.” How do we get through this most difficult of times? How do we be thankful when we feel we have so little to be thankful for? The opposite of thankful is thankless. The dictionary defines thankless as having no thanks, being ungrateful.
We need to not concentrate on the happy part of Thanksgiving, but try to focus on the thankful part of the season. Even in my darkest hours, I have found that I have so much to be thankful for. I have learned to find gratitude in the most simplest of life’s blessings. We have been given a perspective that others can never truly comprehend. We truly know the frailty of life and the importance of holding on to the blessings of love. We hurt much because we have loved much. We had the experience of the love between a mother and a child for the time we had them, and in that, we can be thankful.
Lord, I pray for each of us during this holiday season. It can be most difficult especially for those so new in their grief. I pray we protect ourselves from the busyness of the season and find some time of solitude with You. In the solitude, may we find a time of thanksgiving.
