After my mother passed away 30 years ago, my father was grieving the loss of the love of his life. We invited him to our house that year for Thanksgiving. Our two sons were still young (8 & 6) and our daughter had just been born.
My father, in his grief, joined a noisy, busy, and somewhat stressful house to celebrate Thanksgiving at a time when he little to give thanks for. The day was a bit rough with him but we did our best have a cozy and thankful dinner while doing our best to watch over and care for my father amongst the mayhem of little kids having a big dinner with their Grandpa.
He told me sometime during that day that he felt lost, helpless, and hopeless. And there was nothing I could do for him but offer him a son’s love and the community of our small, growing family. He told me many years later how much it meant to him to spend that day with us when he was living in darkness. Being around our young children forced him to realize that life had to go on because the community, his community, his extended family, was a sweet memory of his wife and my mother.
When we gather together with friends and family on Thanksgiving, we come to our tables in community. Some of us might be experiencing darkness, feel lost, feel helpless and hopeless. May our Thanksgiving celebrations offer light, a gentle and caring touch, and the realization that there is always something to be thankful for no matter how thankless we might feel at this very moment.
(Post from Pastor Steve, Missouri City Christian Church, image from Shutterstock #1231782220)
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