For me, the smells and tastes of Thanksgiving often bring me back to a specific painful moment in time. I lost grandmother at Thanksgiving, and although aí have so much to be thankful and Thanksgiving is a wonderful thing, all the smells, tastes, sounds, and routines are the same year after year. Inevitably, something will trigger those distant memories and emotions.
I remember that morning in chunks. My mom was cooking dinner. My aunt met me at the house. My mom asked my aunt how to make the gravy just right, she said she could never get it on her own and my grandmother wasn’t there to help. My aunt detailed the steps to make perfect gravy. Then, the two of us went to the hospital to sit with my grandmother. My family would tell you that it all happened so fast and that it was unexpected. The doctors said she would be home. They thought of sharing Thanksgiving leftovers. But inside I knew that was not the case. As I sat with her that day, holding her hand, I knew with certainty in my heart the Thanksgiving meal served in the hospital would be the last meal we would ever share together. Nobody ate it. Not only did I know that was the last Thanksgiving, I knew the doctors were wrong, that it was our last moments together- ever. I am so grateful for those moments. I am sure most of you can relate with memories of losses that are your own. And although those memories are sad ones, I am so grateful for those moments. Being able to hold someone’s hand as they take their last inhale here and exhale in eternity is a gift. It is more painful then words can accurately describe, but a gift all the same. It was in that moment that I finally understood what God meant in Romans when he said that the spirit makes intercession for us because in that moment I didn’t know what words to pray. It is in that moment that the soul inside of you becomes a physical weight so heavy you have no choice but to lean into God and let him hold you up. Psalms 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit.”It is that moment that teaches you to truly appreciate every single breath of another being, down to the very last one.
I have many beautiful members of a lifetime with my grandmother, but on Thanksgiving my senses tend to take me back to that moment of a goodbye and even after all these years my heart will feel a very distinct ache. So this Thanksgiving, I encourage you, be thankful for time. Don’t just be thankful for the time you have, but be thankful for the time others choose to invest in you. You can never get time back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. So when someone chooses to use their time to invest in you, appreciate that. It is more precious than any monetary gift. Respect other’s time. Don’t demand teachers meet you outside their workday and when they give up their family time to meet you speak to them in an unkind way. Don’t go to the express, 10 items, lane with 22 items in your cart. Don’t say you will be ready at 7:00 but make your ride wait in the car until 7:45. And above all else, do not ride down the shoulder of the road and last minute try to cut back into the line of traffic that has patiently awaited their turn. On the flip side, don’t get all bent out of shape if you feel someone is not respecting your time. You are right where you are meant to be so, don’t waste your time grumbling and complaining. Look for the way you are meant to use that time. Use that meeting time to show love and grace; use those extra moments in the express line to thank God for providing the food and money you are spending, and as you wait in the car for your friend who is perpetually late, pray for those in the houses around you, who knows the hurts hidden behind those closed doors. Your prayers can make a difference. Take time to invest in others. Psalms 90:12 “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, that we may can a heart of wisdom.”
This Thanksgiving I have so much to be grateful for. I am thankful for the time others have invested in me, praying for me and with me, encouraging me to grow and step out in faith. I am thankful for the time spent with those I love, for miraculous healing of my friend who had stomach cancer, and for new friends who have entered my life. I am thankful for a job I love that is allowing me to take time off to teach in Brazil, and I am especially for the gift of life.
This Thanksgiving God has given our family a special gift to be thankful for. As the familiar smells and conversation about less than perfect gravy occur, we will not be dreadful awaiting a last goodbye. My cell phone will still be within a fingertip's reach, but I will be awaiting for the news that a baby has arrived. My cousin Ashleigh grew up around the corner from me for most of my childhood and even lived with us for a period of time. She has always been like a second little sister. This Thanksgiving she is having a baby. I have prayed for her and this baby over the past 9 months and anxiously await his arrival. So this year the smells and tastes and sounds will be linked with memories of excitement and eager anticipation has a new breath of life is taken.
Happy Thanksgiving Psalms 9:1 “ I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.”
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