This year was a tough Thanksgiving for me and my family. I say this not to receive sympathy or pity, but to go on to say something else. Going through something hard on Thanksgiving made me a lot more thankful. And it also made me see new things that I hadn't before.
On Thanksgiving Day, I was working until 6 p.m. Most people assumed I was sad about this and apologized that they were shopping on the holiday, forcing me to work. What they didn't know is that I didn't mind. I didn't mind because the woman I'd spent years going to Houston to see was lying in a hospital bed waiting to pass.
My grandmother was a woman that was larger than life in a very subtle way; she was quiet, content, and loving. She was all of the best qualities wrapped into one person. She was strong in her Catholic faith, and this made it easier to say goodbye. Easier because I knew this is what she'd been waiting for her entire life. I knew she'd be happier to pass and meet the Lord she'd praised her whole life, rather than laying subdued in a hospital bed.
I didn't mind working Thanksgiving Day. I didn't mind because if I wasn't working, I'd be thinking. Thinking about the woman that I wouldn't get another Thanksgiving with. I knew she wouldn't want our lives to stop, and she wouldn't want us to be down. I knew she'd want us to spend the holiday happy, as we always did.
This is one thing that I was thankful for.
Later that evening when I got off from work, I was invited to my best friend's Thanksgiving. I say best friend, but she is more like my sister; her family is my family. I spent the rest of the day around the table eating delicious food and laughing at their jokes. I played with the small kids, listening to them giggle loudly. I placed myself front and center in the family photo, sticking out against the tanned, dark-haired family. And they accepted me with open arms and full hearts.
This is the second thing that I'm thankful for.
The next day, on Black Friday, I woke up to go to work early that morning. For several hours, I was constantly checking people at the register. Finally, I was able to grab a quick lunch before returning to work.
When I reached the break room, my phone started ringing—my mom was calling. I answered the phone warily. She told me that my grandmother, her mother, had passed and that she was just letting me know. She promised she'd tell me right away. I made sure that she was OK and hung up, finishing my lunch.
The managers all asked if I was OK, if I wanted to go home. I shook my head. Once again, I was thankful for a job that allowed me to focus on something other than my loss.
Not only was I thankful for this, but I was thankful for one last Thanksgiving with my grandmother. Thankful she lasted through that last day with us.
I say all of this to remind you that, even though Thanksgiving is over, there is still room to be thankful. It won't always be obvious what you should be thankful for. Sometimes you have to search for a reason to even roll out of bed, but there is a reason.
Know that you are blessed beyond belief. Know that you have people who love and adore you. Know that there is always something beautiful just around the corner.
