Give & Thanks!

Traditionally the month of November is known and referenced as a month to give thanks. It's the only month out of the twelve months of the year where there is national attention and focus on celebrating the acts of giving and thanking. In this month, we celebrate the annual holiday "Thanksgiving Day" with parades, football games, family gatherings, and shopping sprees that allow us to give thanks to the commercial retailers for supposedly dropping their prices on merchandise we can only afford at the new "steal of a deal" price!

This is also the time we find ourselves flooded with mail from charitable organizations with request to donate money to provide Thanksgiving meals to those in need, or to support your local churches' outreach ministries, or to support hospitals providing medical care to those in need. As I think about these things we do to celebrate this time of giving and this time of thanking, I'm feeling happy that, as a country, we set aside this time to do so. But, I'm also even more grateful to know that so many people embrace these acts of giving and thanking as part of their daily life routines!

My grief journey continues and I'll admit that some days are a bit harder than others but what I've noticed is that starting and ending my day by giving thanks to my God and spending those hours during the day giving my time and effort to causes that help others in some meaningful way has reciprocated as a coping skill! It's helped me step outside of myself and away from the feelings and thoughts of loneliness and sadness. Instead, I'm focusing on good works and deeds and engaging in activities that encourage and motivate me to keep going forward. So, giving and thanking is one of the ways I'm coping with my grief and able to move slowly forward into my new normal.

Have you found any ways to cope with your grief that you can share in this safe, non judgmental community space for healing? We welcome and appreciate your thoughts and ideas, thank you!