Every Thursday I am given the opportunity to write an article. The time I spend writing is honestly some of the most precious moments of my whole week. It gives me some time to try and be creative, and to hopefully reach people who have the same and different thoughts that I do.

While sitting down to write this article on Thanksgiving day an idea came to me. Although we have this day to be thankful, and the holiday season is so exciting, there are people around us that find it hard to be thankful in this season. Maybe you are one of those people.

Maybe you have lost a loved one and the holidays give you a feeling of brokenness. There is also the possibility that you are just not one for celebrating the holidays. Whatever state you are in, I am going to venture to offer some encouragement for those of you who are brokenhearted in this holiday season.

One thing I wanted to say is it is ok to not be ok during this time. The holiday season might have you thinking you have to act happy around your loved ones, even though you truthfully don't feel that way.

If you feel happy during this season, be as happy as you can be. Spread that joy to others. If you feel sad, be sad, it shows that your heart is a heart of love. Even though it is not a fun feeling, it helps you to deal with your pain tangibly instead of ignoring it for years to come. In order for us to be truly thankful, we have to honestly deal with how we are feeling.

Another piece I have of encouragement is to surround yourself with people who honestly love you. Even though this holiday season is difficult, I would encourage you all to surround yourself with people who care about you. When I am having a bad day, I know that there are people at my college that see that, and love me even though they do not know what is going on. Surround yourself with people who will love you during whatever state or season you are in.

A final piece of encouragement I have is to have gratitude for the little things. During this holiday season, it is sometimes hard to see all that we are thankful for because of the hurt hearts we have. Make a list of all the things you are grateful for. Go around the table and say what you are grateful for. It is amazing to see all of the things you can think of even though the holidays might not be the same to you for whatever reason.

I know this season may be difficult for a lot of you, but we all have gratitude for something, and there are people in each of our lives that love us. To whoever reads this I hope that you feel encouraged and loved on this day.