I’m grateful for this time with family. We had an interesting year this year. A lot of illnesses took place which of course are things no one can truly prepare for. Reality set in as we began to realize our parents and grandparents are getting older. Growing older gracefully, but still growing older.
My husband and I both come from a family of very strong women. Women who have overcome a lot more than we will probably ever truly know. So to see the strongest women we’ve ever known sick or hospitalized was pretty tough.
My great grandmother went through a type of blood infection due to a fractured ankle that lead to her foot being amputated. All while his grandmother overcame a massive heart attack. In the midst, was his grandfather’s hip replacement surgery and my grandmother undergoing tests to see what was causing her seizures throughout the summer.
But what’s amazing about all of this is that they just kept pushing. I saw a trust in God and resilience that I think we only see in their generations. And although the recovery has been and will continue to be a process, they are doing incredibly well. If I thought they were strong before, I hadn’t seen true strength.
So I’m thankful. I’m thankful period. But I’m thankful because I realize that this holiday could look very different. I’m thankful because these people are here with us today. I’m thankful because God’s faithfulness is true and thankfully it isn’t dependent upon my gratitude alone because I’m not grateful enough most of the time.
I’m thankful because God is Good. Even when it doesn’t look good and even when it doesn’t feel good, He is always good. Because this year, a lot didn’t look good but God was still good. And it’s hard to remember that when things are not going well. But another thing that makes God so good, is that He knows sometimes we forget how to trust His goodness, yet He loves us through it anyway.
Thank You, God. Hallelujah!