Happy Thanksgiving!!
In this season of making new memories and celebrating old traditions I hope you are taking time to reflect on your life. The last few months have been wrought with ups and downs - personal gains and personal losses - difficult threads of news and the list goes on. Even though the calendar denotes that this is "Thanksgiving" are YOU truly thankful or are you too busy to notice?
From the blaring news feed on your iPhone or Android devices to the school project for the kids you found out that is due TOMORROW and you are rushing to get the supplies. From the dinner you must cook to the seemingly ungrateful people assembled around the table that have no idea what it takes to be YOU. Going to be exhausted in order to make sure everyone else is satisfied and yet inside you are dying because your partner just rolls over wanting yet another "favor". You feel like a "machine" and the button is set at a perpetual state of being "ON" and no one even notices that you are running low on emotional fuel.
NOW comes the onslaught of the holidays to drain what sense of energy you had on reserve completely out of you. Gotta smile for family members who have not spoken to you in years. You have to clean the house because "Aunt Sue" is a big follower of Martha Stewart and notices EVERYTHING. How about that turkey? Is the breast moist? Who's macaroni and cheese is that? Who brought the pasta salad anyway? I bought Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke and someone is asking for Fanta Orange? (Gimme a friggin break!!). Who dropped their spoon in the punch bowl? Stop feeding the dog under the table!!!!! (I am yelling inside by now)!! You have one vegetarian member seated at the table, were their choices sufficient and by the way - don't forget the gluten free setting that needs to be represented on the table. Noise and chaos in your house and yet you are empty inside. A-ha! You still got your imaginary cape blowing in the wind because YOU are a woman - you have invisible superpowers (or so "they" think!). There are take-out plates to prepare. Sweet potatoes smashed in the carpet and a dog to be fed and taken out to potty in the yard. The neighbor's dog has gotten loose again so you are running with a spatula in your hand to get your dog to safety. The dishes, oh, the never ending dishes - people seeking to exit your home to be first in line for the Black Friday sales and your sink is full...... You kiss every cheek and you bid greetings to host the Christmas dinner and you are weeping inside. The folks that are left at your home are waiting for the football games to begin so a new level of serving is now in order. Drinks, anyone? How about "snacks"? Let ME get it for you. <sigh> The powder room toilet has paper in it, MOM!! Uncle Ben has gas again~ Is someone sleeping in MY bed? Inside you just want to go in a corner and cry - but will anyone notice? Who was that who hit the neighbors mailbox? Is everybody gone from MY house NOW? Deep down, you are thankful for the company and grateful to see the elder family members again but clearly, it comes at a price. Peace and quiet comes at a premium particularly during the holidays because YOU find yourself stretched to the MAX!
On the other side of the coin are those who have nothing - wish for everything and seem to get nothing. Those that wish they had family that cared enough to invite them over for dinner. Perhaps the homeless that get a huge meal on Thanksgiving but they are hungry again on December 2nd, where are those "free meals"? To the single-mom working two jobs and the kids compare their "Thanksgiving Day" with someone "better off" than you are. Don't you wanna infuse them with understanding that you are doing the best you can with what you have? The elderly n nursing homes or feeling forgotten by their families. The elderly hae sown so much into our lives and receive so little. Their wisdom has not been tapped into - because the younger ones don't even know to ask. Perhaps this is your first year of trying to celebrate since a loved one transitioned on to Glory. Kind of an unspeakable shadow of emotions. Flood victims, fire victims, earthquake victims - can somebody just help the numb feeling exploding in their bloodstream right now. The calendar says we should be thankful but EVERYTHING is different. Seems we must lern to re-define what being THANKFUL is all about.
While there is an absolute need to be grateful - are you THANKFUL? Consider the equation of life you are now existing in - can you squeeze out something to be thankful for?
Let me use MYSELF as an example. June 15th, my oldest brother passed away - just to lose my moth two days later on June 27th. Is there a hole in my heart? Of course it is. On my birthday, March 27th, my daughter's father lost his hard fought battle with 4th stage cancer and he passed away too. While he chose to have a limited relationship with our daughter and he was horrifically mean to me both mentally, verbally and emotionally - it was a loss we had to process. Am I thankful for the losses? Of course NOT. I am thankful for the memories and for the lessons learned.
I digress. My pain birthed my Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram pages along with this medium to write to you. Who would have known that my experiences would be able to have such an impact on people I don't even know. I am humbled when I get news feeds of the hundres of thousands of people tht tune in to "Deborah's Freedom" every day. The comments, the emails the kind words keep e going when I have secretly wanted to end this venue of sharing. For this I am wholeheartedly THANKFUL.
You know, I am even THANKFUL for the people that don't like me. I have learned that people can hate you because the sincere qualities in you make THEM have to deal with the less than perfect frailties in their own lives. Oh, no, I am far from perfect BUT I have gone inside myself to work on myself - from the inside out. What you SEE on the outside is a direct reflection of the work done on the inside! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - so it is okay to have haters.
During this Thanksgiving season seek to capture things you are truly THANKFUL for. Yeah, you may feel cheated out of the life you desire but money does not buy you love. Who would not want more money if at the end of the day you are unhappy. I would LOVE more money - because I am more mature with my spending choices but to be honest - God keeps on providing for me even though there have been times I was going through the motions of screaming for help and had no one to hear my cry.
I am stronger now than I have ever been. My priorities have changed. The "things" that used to make me happy pale in comparison to the things that TRULY make me happy. Do I wish tings were different for me? HECK, YEAH! But when I consider how badly some things could have turned out - it is not hard for me to whisper a prayer to God and give Him Thanks. I am humbled. I am grateful. I am THANKFUL. My life has not gone as I had planned" but God has the master plan. HE promised - eyes have not seen and ears have not heard the GOOD things HE has prepared for me. It is all in HIS timing. I have made the decision to wait.
Fill in the blank for your own life and series of circumstances you presently find yourself in. Maybe you are THANKFUL for things that only YOU can talk about or think about. Maybe, just maybe - you are just simply THANKFUL for life!
Sometimes you gotta bend that elbow and "PAT" YOUR OWN SELF ON THE BACK!!
From the blaring news feed on your iPhone or Android devices to the school project for the kids you found out that is due TOMORROW and you are rushing to get the supplies. From the dinner you must cook to the seemingly ungrateful people assembled around the table that have no idea what it takes to be YOU. Going to be exhausted in order to make sure everyone else is satisfied and yet inside you are dying because your partner just rolls over wanting yet another "favor". You feel like a "machine" and the button is set at a perpetual state of being "ON" and no one even notices that you are running low on emotional fuel.
NOW comes the onslaught of the holidays to drain what sense of energy you had on reserve completely out of you. Gotta smile for family members who have not spoken to you in years. You have to clean the house because "Aunt Sue" is a big follower of Martha Stewart and notices EVERYTHING. How about that turkey? Is the breast moist? Who's macaroni and cheese is that? Who brought the pasta salad anyway? I bought Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke and someone is asking for Fanta Orange? (Gimme a friggin break!!). Who dropped their spoon in the punch bowl? Stop feeding the dog under the table!!!!! (I am yelling inside by now)!! You have one vegetarian member seated at the table, were their choices sufficient and by the way - don't forget the gluten free setting that needs to be represented on the table. Noise and chaos in your house and yet you are empty inside. A-ha! You still got your imaginary cape blowing in the wind because YOU are a woman - you have invisible superpowers (or so "they" think!). There are take-out plates to prepare. Sweet potatoes smashed in the carpet and a dog to be fed and taken out to potty in the yard. The neighbor's dog has gotten loose again so you are running with a spatula in your hand to get your dog to safety. The dishes, oh, the never ending dishes - people seeking to exit your home to be first in line for the Black Friday sales and your sink is full...... You kiss every cheek and you bid greetings to host the Christmas dinner and you are weeping inside. The folks that are left at your home are waiting for the football games to begin so a new level of serving is now in order. Drinks, anyone? How about "snacks"? Let ME get it for you. <sigh> The powder room toilet has paper in it, MOM!! Uncle Ben has gas again~ Is someone sleeping in MY bed? Inside you just want to go in a corner and cry - but will anyone notice? Who was that who hit the neighbors mailbox? Is everybody gone from MY house NOW? Deep down, you are thankful for the company and grateful to see the elder family members again but clearly, it comes at a price. Peace and quiet comes at a premium particularly during the holidays because YOU find yourself stretched to the MAX!
On the other side of the coin are those who have nothing - wish for everything and seem to get nothing. Those that wish they had family that cared enough to invite them over for dinner. Perhaps the homeless that get a huge meal on Thanksgiving but they are hungry again on December 2nd, where are those "free meals"? To the single-mom working two jobs and the kids compare their "Thanksgiving Day" with someone "better off" than you are. Don't you wanna infuse them with understanding that you are doing the best you can with what you have? The elderly n nursing homes or feeling forgotten by their families. The elderly hae sown so much into our lives and receive so little. Their wisdom has not been tapped into - because the younger ones don't even know to ask. Perhaps this is your first year of trying to celebrate since a loved one transitioned on to Glory. Kind of an unspeakable shadow of emotions. Flood victims, fire victims, earthquake victims - can somebody just help the numb feeling exploding in their bloodstream right now. The calendar says we should be thankful but EVERYTHING is different. Seems we must lern to re-define what being THANKFUL is all about.
While there is an absolute need to be grateful - are you THANKFUL? Consider the equation of life you are now existing in - can you squeeze out something to be thankful for?
Let me use MYSELF as an example. June 15th, my oldest brother passed away - just to lose my moth two days later on June 27th. Is there a hole in my heart? Of course it is. On my birthday, March 27th, my daughter's father lost his hard fought battle with 4th stage cancer and he passed away too. While he chose to have a limited relationship with our daughter and he was horrifically mean to me both mentally, verbally and emotionally - it was a loss we had to process. Am I thankful for the losses? Of course NOT. I am thankful for the memories and for the lessons learned.
I digress. My pain birthed my Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram pages along with this medium to write to you. Who would have known that my experiences would be able to have such an impact on people I don't even know. I am humbled when I get news feeds of the hundres of thousands of people tht tune in to "Deborah's Freedom" every day. The comments, the emails the kind words keep e going when I have secretly wanted to end this venue of sharing. For this I am wholeheartedly THANKFUL.
You know, I am even THANKFUL for the people that don't like me. I have learned that people can hate you because the sincere qualities in you make THEM have to deal with the less than perfect frailties in their own lives. Oh, no, I am far from perfect BUT I have gone inside myself to work on myself - from the inside out. What you SEE on the outside is a direct reflection of the work done on the inside! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - so it is okay to have haters.
During this Thanksgiving season seek to capture things you are truly THANKFUL for. Yeah, you may feel cheated out of the life you desire but money does not buy you love. Who would not want more money if at the end of the day you are unhappy. I would LOVE more money - because I am more mature with my spending choices but to be honest - God keeps on providing for me even though there have been times I was going through the motions of screaming for help and had no one to hear my cry.
I am stronger now than I have ever been. My priorities have changed. The "things" that used to make me happy pale in comparison to the things that TRULY make me happy. Do I wish tings were different for me? HECK, YEAH! But when I consider how badly some things could have turned out - it is not hard for me to whisper a prayer to God and give Him Thanks. I am humbled. I am grateful. I am THANKFUL. My life has not gone as I had planned" but God has the master plan. HE promised - eyes have not seen and ears have not heard the GOOD things HE has prepared for me. It is all in HIS timing. I have made the decision to wait.
Fill in the blank for your own life and series of circumstances you presently find yourself in. Maybe you are THANKFUL for things that only YOU can talk about or think about. Maybe, just maybe - you are just simply THANKFUL for life!
Sometimes you gotta bend that elbow and "PAT" YOUR OWN SELF ON THE BACK!!
Comments
Post a Comment