Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day has been a tradition to acknowledge those people and things we are grateful for throughout the past year. It is a celebration of great harvests and prosperity. Basically, a day set aside to eat and enjoy the fact we are here at all. This should be done every day, not just once a year.

Fifteen months ago, I had a loss that would cause many to cease being thankful for anything going forward. I choose to not look at it that way. I want to be thankful for the 24 years I did have with my son. I don’t want to go forward appearing ungrateful for those years. So many scenarios could paint this situation to have an even worse outcome. I know that sounds impossible, but it is true. We can always take a situation to a step worse than it was, mine being no different.

Twenty-four years ago, Thanksgiving Day, I lost my oldest brother suddenly from an aortic embolism. Eight years later, I lost another brother to cancer on that exact same date. This day is still celebrated for all the things I am thankful for, which includes those memories I have with those I have lost! I choose to think God had a plan lining up those dates and those losses the way He did. It will make sense later, but it doesn’t mean I turn my back on Thanksgiving and forget all the good things that have happened to me.

This holiday is not celebrated everywhere, but many countries have something similar. It may not have started with pilgrims and Indians, but the good news is it exists. Period. My challenge is to continue to be thankful for something, anything, every single day going forward. The good should always out weigh the not-so-good, even if we have to accumulate the positives over several days to build up the value. Kind of like that one good golf game you talk about for years to come. Doesn’t matter that a hundred golf games sucked, as long as you can hold that great game up to replace them.

I am so thankful for the time I had with my son and the memories that I will cherish with all my heart. I cherish the time with all my family, those here on Earth and those in Heaven. This is life. This is love. I am blessed. I want to never forget that!

#thanksgiving #choosegratefulness #bethankfuleveryday

Author: Christina Herold Trueblood

My name is Christina Trueblood. I am married and live in Central Illinois and am the mother of two, a daughter and son. Unfortunately, I lost my son in August 2017 in a single vehicle truck accident a couple of miles from our home. He was 24. I have documented some of my story on Facebook over this first year and have been encouraged to start a blog. I hope to help other families who have gone through loss and struggle to make any sense of it. My faith has kept me going and I believe one day, we will meet those loved ones we have lost again and it will be as if no time has passed. Until then, I want to honor their lives and know they left a mark on my life! Please follow me and share your stories. View all posts by Christina Herold Trueblood