ThanksGiving

🧡 Happy ThanksGiving! 🧡

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s one that is overlooked by way too many. But it is so important. Its true history has been lost by many, and been politicized by many more. It’s been chided by those who think they have nothing to be grateful for, if they are suffering loss or grieving, or everything in life isn’t perfect and full. They forget or never learned that the beginnings of this day set aside as a holiday reflects back to families who had lost half of their members due to starvation in the previous year, and had lost all their possessions. If you are grieving, my heart is with you. Yet, I still find reason to Give Thanks—and encourage you to, also.

Although every day is a day to be grateful, I love this day as a set apart HolyDay to give thanks, even though I also have suffered much loss and had much grief—many years, especially in this month, and on this day. I love it because as a holiday, it’s more relaxed than most, (except the cooking and cleaning part.) No other agenda than being grateful to God, and others in our lives. There’s no commercialism. No endless running around. Just gathering loved ones together. To feast on God’s goodness. To be grateful for what we have and how He’s brought us through—even when we have little and have been through very hard challenges. Even when those hard things aren’t resolved yet. Even when not everyone is there to gather with us.

In way too many years, November has been a month of great loss for me. Deaths of loved ones. My infant daughter—so longed for, then gone too quickly. My mother—diagnosed one year, then on her last days on Thanksgiving the next year. Me leaving her side (300 miles from my home) just long enough to come home, prepare Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy it with loved ones here. Then rush back in a couple days, to catch her dying breaths. Several other family members also left this world in this season. Several Thanksgiving Days were spent in the hospital with others. One year, with my youngest son, whose arm was broken into a Z shape just I was putting pies in the oven for the 30 guests we had coming that day. As my girls finished preparing for our guests 🩷, son and I waited in ER for the surgeon to finish eating his Thanksgiving dinner. Us getting back home late in the evening, to our guests who had all stayed after eating, praying for son. Other years spending Thanksgiving with my dad in the hospital, one year for many hours in ER, another year as he was nearing his end, with him admitted several days before and still there. Again, me heading home just in time for dinner. The year my mom died, me also filing for my life-saving divorce, just days before. And the list of loss continues.

How can ThanksGiving remain my favorite holiday, with all this grief associated? Because, just as those freedom-for-religion seeking Pilgrims, who gave thanks in the midst of the loss of so many and so much, gratitude isn’t for having a perfect life. It’s not always about having everyone around the table. It’s about thanking the One Who is always worthy of our praise, through the good and the bad, because HE is always good. He is always with us as we go through both good and bad. He loves us and cares. Comforts and heals.

We have much to be grateful for—even when we seemingly have “little”. — I have so much to be grateful for!
🧡 In addition to my Savior always being with me and taking care of me,
🧡 I’ve always had loved ones around the table. Usually 20-25, sometimes 12-15. I am blessed. (Yes, I cried the first year I “only” had 12.)
🧡 We’ve never lacked for enough food—even always had the full ThanksGiving feast, turkey with all the trimmings.
🧡 I have a warm home—big enough to accommodate such groups.
🧡 I have a heart filled with gratitude for all these things—and much more. Even when in the midst of great trials.

It matters to slow down, and reflect on the blessings we do have—not just what we’ve lost or don’t have. It matters to take time to make Beauty from Ashes. Just as our Creator does, (in my lesser, human—but imago dei way) I create (relative) beauty in my surroundings. I reflect. I give thanks. I make reminders of all He’s brought us through. It restores and transforms my soul.

I haven’t had much time for soul-transforming creativity lately. I’m in the thick of concert season. But creating music is its own form of soul healing and health. I did carve out some time to make this mixed media faith art piece to add joy to my space—and my heart, (and a couple other art pieces,) a couple weeks ago.

In remembrance of my mom, this also adds to my annual ThanksGiving decor. As she was nearing her end, her appetite was gone. I was trying to convince her to eat something on Thanksgiving, asking her what sounded good that she’d actually try to eat. It was Pumpkin Pie. I made these for my family at home to remember her by, and keep one for myself to put out yearly. Another act of soul-healing creativity.

If this day included grieving or loss for you, and it was a contemplative or processing day more than “happy”, I pray you were still able to find gratefulness in your heart for some other things. I also hope you are able to take some creative time, to heal and restore your soul.

💝

Living Coram Deo & freely whole
SDG!
~ Liberty—Life Restoration & Soul Transforming Creativity Coach

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