Have A Little Faith in We

Hello friends and Happy Thanksgiving! We are sending you all blessings for a beautiful day and a blessed start to the holiday season. This year you may have seen on social media we have been having a really great time. All of my siblings are home, we have all the significant others with us, and we are really enjoying the celebration where we find ourselves from last few years and what is to come.

The holidays are meant to be a time for giving thanks, taking stock, enjoyment – but if we are all being honest that is not always how it goes, right? One of my tougher years I was scrolling through social media and came across a post from one of my fav bloggers who always appears to have the picture perfect family moments and beautiful holidays. But she shared the reality of how life can be beyond the photos. There are times they have faced of family strife, illness, or other worries that clouded their ability enjoy. Not every season of life is easy. This has crossed my mind a lot this year. We are having such a ball with family dinners, games, late evening cocktails, jokes and stories….. but not every holiday has been that way.

Over the years we have had Christmases that are difficult to enjoy after a few all nighters in the ER. There was the year we traded our tickets to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for a stomach blockage sponsored stay at Fairfax hospital. Other years family relation challenges have made it difficult to get together. Or the years we have been at our holidays, but feel like shells of ourselves because of worry or frustration for the place in life we find ourselves. The thing with life is that it does move forward, but it is not always perfect. My advice, be sure to find little ways to enjoy. That Thanksgiving we were in the hospital and I ate a dry turkey burger alone – but the warm Starbucks I was delivered every morning and the incredibly loving messages from friends and family were a perfect little piece of holiday to enjoy.

What about those years that it does look like the holiday is coming together just perfectly? All of the family is going to gather, you have your store list and perfect recipes – its all working out just as you thought! But if you are like me the pressure can start to mount and before you know keeping the picture in your head going becomes the focus not the actual reason for the season. This year we had so many fun things planned and a lot of opportunity for memories to be made – and I could feel the desire for perfection creeping up. But I have been down this road before and I was feeling the anxiety rise……. so my prayer starting last week has been for two things: to be as present as possible and to be a source for myself and my loved ones of the joy you hope for during the holidays. The power of prayer we have witnessed this year has been miraculous and reminded me of all that is possible. I encourage you all to not only embrace the season exactly as it is and avoid the stress….. but leave it to the power of prayer. It has gifted us with an incredible Thanksgiving week.

We wish you all a truly beautiful day and for those whose day isn’t feeling as beautiful – for big or small reasons- remember life is potentially only a day or two a way from a change. For us last year it was just a few days before our lives changed forever and we had no idea. If change is scary you might be surprised what is in store and if you are hoping for change it will come, just be patient. God bless you all on this day …. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you so much for reading and remember to make it a great day!
Jackie