Nov 24, 2022
I have often heard people being encouraged to be ‘thankful
givers.’ It is supposed to inspire us to either give with a
thankful heart or be thankful for a giving heart or something along
those lines. When we are grieving, however, there is a new almost
unimaginable challenge. Now, we are asked to be thankful with a
grieving heart or grieve with a thankful heart. How is that even
possible?
On this week’s podcast released on Thanksgiving Day in the US, Gwen
and I really look at what it is like to be thankful during grief.
From the outside, it may seem impossible, but it is not. It just
can look very different than it used to look. At first, we may only
be thankful for a few small things - a ray of sunshine, a hot bath,
or an encouraging word from a friend. If that is all that your
grieving heart can be thankful for, that can be enough.
I loved recording this Livestream episode because so many listeners
commented and wrote in ahead of time. What really struck me was
what really seemed to rise to the top of the thankfulness list is
that we are thankful for each other. When I pour myself into you,
you, in turn, pour yourself right back into me, and we both feel a
little bit better.
This brings me back to that original phrase of being a ‘thankful
giver.’ I think we are all at our best when we work together as
thankful, giving grievers or grieving, thankful givers or even
giving, thankful grievers. It doesn’t really matter what order the
words are in. What matters is that they are all there. We grieve
better in community, and I know that this year, I am so incredibly
thankful for my not-so-little community of grievers.
Thank you.