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Choose Life in the after- after the spouse dies, after the marriage ends, after the kids leave

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Thanksgiving 2020-Where two or three are gathered

November 26, 2020 by Sharon

Happy Thanksgiving. Even in 2020 I have so much to be thankful for. I felt like writing down my blessings so I can come back to this from time to time and remind myself on the hard days!

Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done!!

I’ve been thinking a lot about the above verse this week leading up to Thanksgiving. It’s very different this year. Dr. T and are in in New Mexico just the two of us. The kids are on their own. My mother is alone today- her choice to not be with my sister’s family. My sister will take her a plate of food later. Dr. T’s family is all celebrating today with their own separate families.

As my mother and I talked about the other day- Different doesn’t have to be BAD. It’s just different. Today will be what we make it, and I plan on making it special and meaningful.

After losing my dad last spring, I realize that I need my mother for many years to come. I chose not to risk getting around her during the holidays to ensure that I’ll have her for many more holidays.

What am I thankful for today? Here is my list.

so much to be thankful for
  1. I’m thankful for this man! Neither of us would be in a very good place mentally or emotionally if we didn’t have each other today.

2. I’m thankful that my family is healthy today! I couldn’t say that in early March when one of us came down with COVID-19. It was scary, and so today I’m so thankful that everyone is healthy.

3. As a mom of two grown kids, I’m thankful that they have in-laws that love them dearly! I’ve seen them with their in-law families. I’ve heard from them how much they are loved. What more could a mom want than for her children to have another family to love and be loved by?

4. I’m thankful for family. My family is extremely close. I’m so fortunate to have had the parents who loved and cared for me and my sister. The older I get the more I realize how blessed I am. I’m also tremendously thankful for Dr. T’s family. They welcomed me with open arms and have loved on me knowing that I come from a place of grief and loss. They show me love at every turn!

5. I’m thankful that I have 56 years of wonderful Thanksgiving memories. When the kids were little I would ask my kids and my nephews, “Have we made a memory?” That became our mantra as a family. We want to make memories, and boy have we. One year of being apart will not change that as I have a lifetime of memories on which to remember.

I know that some of you may be like my mother and have chosen to spend the day alone. Since the passing of my dad in April, she feels most comfortable in her own space. I completely understand that. I was the same way for quite a while after the death of my first husband. As we both said the other day, it’s really just ONE DAY. Yes, it’s a special day, but it will be over, and Friday will be here before we know it.

so much to be thankful for
My mom and I Thanksgiving 2012.

I’m concentrating on this scripture today.

 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20

It’s just two of us giving thanks today, and He is with us. It may just be you by yourself giving thanks today. He is with you.

No one has taken Thanksgiving away from us this year. It’s just different, and that’s not a bad thing.

I wish you peace, and health and happiness throughout the holiday season.

And to you who read my posts, I am especially thankful for you. This space has offered me a huge receptacle in which to place my thoughts. It is a joy in my life, and it is because of you. Thank you!!

Dealing with hardships during the holidays– a most popular post.

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After her husband’s sudden and unexpected death, Sharon McCuistian found herself a widow at the age of 48. With two grown children in college, Sharon had to find a way to live in her new reality. She turned to the things she loved to help in her grief: faith, family, and friends. Her love of words and writing became the cathartic venue by which she began to process her loss. It is through her grief journey that Now Choose Life was born. Read More

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