When thanks is hard

What if part of our Thanksgiving centerpiece this year, right alongside the basket of hot rolls, was a basket full of gratitudes?

Is any holiday better named than Thanksgiving: the "giving of thanks" flipped backwards and capitalized? Love it. To many this day is full of family, friends and favorite foods.

For others it is a day of pain.

Photo: Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto from Pixabay

I’m thinking of a couple families I know with empty chairs this year. What kind of gratitude do you drop into a basket in the midst of a broken heart?

Perhaps simply remembering God’s nearness will suffice for this year.

God promises to be close to the

brokenhearted and saves those

who are crushed in spirit.

- PSALM 34:18

“Immanuel” turn out to be my favorite word when I became a widow. The WITH of God was my anchor to peace many days and especially during my first year of holidays.

I pray for you this Thanksgiving if you have an empty chair -- that God will give you the grace to know His nearness.

Pull up a chair and sit still

Photo: Pepper Mint from Pixabay

If your table is full this year, maybe you’d like to join me in asking God’s presence to comfort those whose lives have changed. Let’s listen for that nudge to write a card, make a call or say a prayer for the brokenhearted this Thanksgiving.

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