A Prayer for Thanksgiving Day When Grieving

Our first Thanksgiving without Mom was hard, but God gave us grace. More losses were to come in the years ahead–my dad and then my mother-in-law.

Other kinds of grieving can impact our holidays, too. Like health concerns or old age that make you ponder how many more celebrations you will have with loved ones. Or maybe there are missing faces at the table because of strained or broken relationships. Or maybe it’s the pain of job loss and financial challenges. Holidays can stir up memories of the past, stress of the present, and fears for the future.

There are many kinds of grieving. My prayer list is long these days with friends dealing with tough challenges. We all have our heartbreaks.

I pray whatever our struggles are this year, that the smells of the roasting turkey, the spices of the pumpkin pie, and the hugs of loved ones, will stir up memories that remind us “Thus far the Lord has helped us” (I Samuel 7:12, KJV).

We are not alone. Our Lord is with us, and He is faithful and good. He will give us grace for each day. He will help us to “do the next thing” even when we sometimes work through misty eyes.

Praying you have a blessed Thanksgiving! And may we give thanks with truly grateful hearts.

Cheryl

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November, 2017

Abba Father,

My heart is heavy. Something about holidays this first year since Mama went home to You is heartbreaking. I’m not sure why, because the last few years of her life she wasn’t participating with us anyway. And she hadn’t really known me for long before that.

But even though that was hard, I could still bring Mama a Thanksgiving meal. I could feed her mashed potatoes and gravy. I could hold her soft hand. I could hope for a sweet word from her. Sometimes she’d say something that made me laugh. Sometimes she’d thrill me by saying my name.

And I could know that when I left, Mama had Daddy and Daddy had Mama. And Dad would tell Mom over and over how much he loved her. And Mom would flutter tap his back for hours as they snuggled in bed together.

Oh Abba Father, I know Mama is with you now. I know she will have the best Thanksgiving ever. And I’m so grateful for that and for You and for eternity. But I don’t know how to prepare for Thanksgiving on earth, when all I want to do is cry. I have so many blessings to be thankful for. SO MANY! And I am grateful, Lord, I truly am.

And yet the emotions and the tears keep coming. How can I honor You through this, Abba? What do You want me to do?

Help me Lord, please, to:

• keep my focus on You and Your faithfulness and presence
• continually give thanks
• love and enjoy the people and moments you bless me with today
• be faithful in the responsibilities You’ve given me right now 
• let go of stress, worry, and perfection and trust that Thanksgiving, with all its details, is in Your hands
• appreciate my family and not drive them crazy prepping for the day

Thank You, Abba Father, that You are merciful and good and so faithful! Thank You that Your mercies surround us, Your compassions are new every morning, and that Your love never fails.

Tuck me closely under Your wings when the tears need to fall. And then lift me up on wings like eagles when I need to get the work done. Thank You for your tenderness and gentleness with me, Lord.

And Jesus, would You please give Mama a big hug for me? Tell her I miss her and love her so much. And tell her I’ll try to make Thanksgiving as sweet and warm and fun and delicious as she did for us, for so many years.