Holidays can be hard with the stores cheerfully decorated and jolly songs blasting everywhere you go reminding us ‘it’s the most wonderful time of the year.’ I genuinely love the holidays, kicking off the festive season with Thanksgiving, surrounded by loved ones and just sharing the company of one another, discussing the Christmas season and gearing up for Black Friday shopping the next day. However, they can also be a time of sadness and loneliness as we remember our loved ones whom have passed on or are struggling during the holiday season with a recent loss, illness, divorce, or any other hardship. Death, trauma and sickness know no timeline and the holiday season is no different.
Recently, I learned of a dear acquaintance being diagnosed with metastatic cancer after battling his initial round for the past year. I think of him daily and how his life is at a standstill right now while the rest of the world seemingly hustles and bustles to get everything ready by 12-25. I remember the holiday commercials, crowded stores and congested roads the year we lost Larissa. All of that high energy/holiday cheer was in the background as I carried the weight of the world on my shoulders.
So, as I prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving today, I reflect on how far I’ve come since 2010 and the many blessings since then, most of all, my two healthy, energetic and happy children. But I also think of the blessings and love that’s around us even during the hard times. I look back on the stack and I mean stack of cards sent to us from friends, co-workers, friends of friends and so forth reaching out when we lost Larissa and sending us much needed love. Our days here are fleeting and it’s so easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of our day to day lives, but the things that really matter aren’t work, possessions or our growing bank account. It’s love and kindness and in a world that seems to only show the negative, let’s focus on all the good that’s out there. Acquaintances and strangers reached out to me with love and support when we lost Larissa and it was every kind word, gentle hug and listening ear that provided the much needed love and support during my time of need to get me through my darkest days.
Despite losing Larissa, I know I’m blessed, and I also know that I’ve gained not only two beautiful children, but I’ve come out stronger than I ever imagined. We all have hardships, and everyone fights some sort of battle even if their Instagram life seems impeccable. So, enjoy today, count those blessings, feel (and I mean feel) the love of those here and passed on, don’t count the calories & eat that extra piece of pie 😉 (our time here is fleeting after all)…