Thanksgiving’s Path

Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving is my favorite. What’s always meant the most to me is all around me that day.  Love. Blessings. Miracles. Relationships that matter most.  The hearts I’ve fought for most as I’ve pursued my own healing and recovery; they will be all around my table.

Life demands that we work and work, go and go, harder and faster, just trying to keep up. We move from thing to thing, handling need after need, checking off the next to-do. All for the people we love.

And then Thanksgiving comes. We stop all of that.  We’re simply with people. With the people we’re working so hard for and running so hard after. With the people that make life worth living.  With the people that give life meaning and make it so full.   This  year our table will be full, every seat taken. I know that not every year promises these blessings.  I know that not everyone reading this will experience that this year. 

The sister of Thanksgiving is Sorrow. Sorrow’s reward? Gratitude.  The path to gratitude often means riding the unwelcome waves of sorrow. I don’t fully understand how it works, but I have seen and experienced it for myself and seen it with others enough times to know it’s true. Over and over, courageous clients feel what hurts. They stop pretending to be strong long enough to let the wounds speak- that’s real strength, feeling what hurts. By giving the really difficult wounds and feelings somewhere to go, they somehow make room for the good and the beautiful that’s also and always part of life.

That’s what makes Thanksgiving so special. It’s a stop along the way to be with what we’ve worked so hard for and to remember what we’ve overcome. We take the day to be with what matters most and to reflect on the gifts in our lives. Even when loved ones are absent, whether they’ve passed or are far away, we can remember the gifts their presence has been. We can offer whispers of thanks to those who are no longer with us and make video calls of celebration with those we can still reach.