This year Thanksgiving Day passed quietly at our house. Although we will celebrate the holiday merrily with extended family this weekend, the mood at home has been subdued.
Friends warned me that the holidays would be difficult now that a seat at our table is empty, but I had hoped that focusing on the family still gathered round would keep sadness at bay. Sometimes the tears have come this week -- and often at the most unexpected times -- but along with them has dawned the realization that grief can help us scoot our chairs closer.
The loss of a loved one helps us find greater value in our family relationships.
The tears pull us closer, as we lean on each other.
The memories help us look for the beauty in everyday moments shared.
The missing reminds us how important it is to be present.
And the hole left in our hearts reminds us how fulfilling life can be when it is filled with love.
And for that, I am Grateful.
"The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life." -- Robert Louis Stevenson
