Today’s scripture: Psalm 40: 1-3 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Ciemone Easter-Rose):
For me, the holidays are a bit of a mixed bag. Thanksgiving used to be my favorite holiday–full of some of my favorite seasonal foods, and quality time spent with some of my favorite people. It was a happy time. But I don’t look forward to it the same way now as I once did. It is always difficult to convene with others now without remembering seasons past–and sometimes, I think the past looks better. In the past I had my great-grandmother, godmother, maternal grandmother, and my older sister with me on Thanksgiving. I remember the impact of their presence, and each one played an important role in my life. Over the last 15 years though, the former three have passed away, and the latter has disconnected from our family. So I haven’t seen any of them in years, and it hasn’t felt the same.
Since being with my spouse, the setup for family holiday gatherings in my life has also changed drastically. The necessity of splitting time between her family and mine, both of whom live in different states, became more critical after the two of us decided to call a third separate state our new permanent home. The one promise we made each other from the beginning was that no matter what, we would be together. So in 2011 I missed Thanksgiving with my family for the first time in my entire life. Then, the following two years, we decided to host a joint-family Thanksgiving ourselves. While it seemed like a good remedy, limitations on our own time and energies precluded that from being a permanent setup.
So, I’ve spent the last two Thanksgivings travelling. Last year I spent the holiday in Nashville with my wife and in-laws. The year before that, we split our time between New Orleans, and a cruise to Mexico (for our honeymoon). This year, I’m travelling again with my in-laws to Richmond, VA to spend the holiday with my wife’s cousin and her husband. When I spell it out that way, it sounds great actually. Notably though–as a result of these trips, my own family has been absent from my Thanksgiving plans for the past several years. But I found that it has been helpful for me to “remake” my holiday experiences in order to let go of the past. This allows me to better appreciate what I have in my present-day life. The next holiday I spend with my family with be Christmas–and I’m actually looking forward to it. Not because of what was–but because of what is. I can finally appreciate the past while embracing the present. I thank God for restoring that to me, by filling my life up with so many new alternatives, which I am simply grateful to have.
Question for the day: Are you lamenting on what is lost, or appreciating what is found? Allow God to draw you up from your “miry bog” (Psalm 40:2) and set you on a more secure foundation for going forward.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.