I am at my desk quietly interceding for people who are struggling  missing someone on their “first thanksgiving without them”.

I know how they feel.  My dad, Jerry,  won’t be here for the first time to tell me how much my sweet potato pie reminds him of his mother’s.  I won’t be visiting grandma, Anna,  for the first time at the nursing home and hearing “There’s My Pretty  Brown Girl”.  Nor will I be sneaking baby Emmanuel his first taste, for the first time, of something he would be too young to eat.

Threefold pains aside, I am spending Thanksgiving being grateful for the touch that each of these individuals placed on my heart and my life…whether over the course of many years or just one gracious hour. Thankful for the first times with them and the lasts.

The best way for me to  honor their memories is to live life fully and  with full expectation and wonder.  The best way to thank God for their presence is to see that the blessings I have received from them far outweigh the sorrows of being temporarily apart from them.   Some glorious  “Forever Thanksgiving Day” will be ours for the first time….. someday.

For now, my prayers are with those other “first timers” who need to feel those same blessings and to be rewarded with the smiles and laughter that come from precious memories.

If you are missing a parent, then be there for someone who is missing their child.   If you are missing a child, then be there for someone who is missing a parent.   You get the idea!  The measure that you pour out will be returned to you.

I also  want to encourage those who don’t know what this feels like, to one…..be thankful….. and two…. be kind enough to “step in for a first timer” this holiday season.  Don’t discount their feelings, but volunteer to surrogate a broken heart and make sure they don’t struggle alone.

So for now, I will make one extra sweet potato pie…….. and will eat the heck out of a slice for my dad.  Then, I will put on my best dress and make Anna proud.  I then (when nobody is looking) will  be pulling out a tiny spoonful of mashed potatoes for my grandbaby.

As the joy of being thankful fills my heart, I pray the same for you.  Happy thanksgiving!.

Love Always, Chelle