Oh My Gosh! Do you think when Abraham Lincoln dedicated the third Thursday of November to giving thanks he knew how much we would need a day to consider how fortunate we are? In my opinion we could especially benefit by counting and considering our blessings considering how divisive our recent election and the state of the world. It is chilling that I can go to bed and sleep when I KNOW there are people struggling to survive – and likely in my own neighborhood. I am fortunate, and some are not. It was Henry David Thoreau who wrote “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. ” I think that is obvious during the hectic and often stressful Holiday season. The recent election added a bucketload of anxiety to the Holiday Stress Mix.
The Holiday Season will be a difficult time for many. While for some the holidays are filled with warm memories and traditions which have traveled through the generations., for others this time of the year is filled with loneliness and struggles just to make ends meet. The holiday season sometimes brings an escalation of the struggles of many: violence in the home… many of our friends and family may be struggling with addiction…. And Poverty is its own form of abuse. I think Poverty deserves its own capital “P”…Something you can’t imagine if you have never been there. Holidays bring more stress and despair, and many may feel lost and alone. Homeless shelters fill to overflowing,.. and some of our brothers and sisters struggle to stay warm and have long ago lost contact with their family of origin.
If you are fortunate enough to be working, or raising your children in a nice home with heat and a full refrigerator do something to show your gratitude this year! Volunteer somewhere at least one day a week, or a few hours a week. Consider the hospitals, the assisted living homes, the special needs of people who can’t read…teach them, reach them and read to them. Go to the children’s wards and read or play with the children. The quickest was to cure depression and loneliness is to do something for someone else. And if you are fortunate and want to show your gratitude, add a place at your table and invite someone who is alone to share your good fortune. A friend of mine sent me this link for Giving Circles, which is a GRAND idea. https://shar.es/18wIAC
Like all of you, I have friends who are struggling mightily. One lifelong friend is sliding downhill with dementia and I miss her this Christmas. She was always here to celebrate with us. I have another who is struggling with cancer and I worry about her every single day. Like you, I have minor struggles in my own life, and I am learning to be grateful for the struggle. Sometimes it is that very struggle that gives meaning to life.
I come from a large family. I am the middle of five children. They are all back on the East Coast and I am here, and I miss them every single day of my life. I have a son and daughter-in-law and two teen grandchildren who live in St. Louis. I miss them every day. And Carlos and Ricky, my other son and grandson, I miss them terribly too. I miss the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Everyone but my husband and myself is gone this year. I will read a book. I will be grateful to my first grade teacher who taught me to read. I will cook a delicious meal and be grateful to my mother for teaching me how to do that.
The only difference between me and someone exhausted with poverty and depression is an accident of birth. I’m going to get up off the sofa and reach out this Holiday Season. I want to live in gratitude. Carpe Diem before it’s gone. Quickly now, before we miss it altogether.