Be Thankful Today
The smallest blessing can bring great joy.
Today is Thanksgiving. It’s a day full of food, family, and football. Every year, millions of families get together to reconnect and reflect. It’s a chance to check in with relatives. We need to get a sense of what’s going on in each other’s lives. While we’re still in the midst of a pandemic, this year’s Turkey Day has a vaccine as an added safety net. If everyone is vaccinated, there’s a decreased likelihood of COVID spread.
Some families may not be feeling too thankful. They may have lost a loved one to COVID or some other disease. I think of the family of Ahmaud Arbery. While his killers will be sentenced, Arbery’s family has to carry on without him. It’s a bittersweet holiday for them. I also think of the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. They too have to carry on with their loved ones in their lives. Thousands of people across the country are staring at an empty chair at the Thanksgiving table.
It’s the same for me. It’s been four years since my mother passed away. I woke up today not in the mood to cook up a holiday feast. The motivation wasn’t there. My energy was low. I spent the morning watching the news, catching up on emails, and sending holiday greetings to friends. I took a nap to recharge my batteries and lift my mood. It helped, but not a lot.
We had a Thanksgiving lunch of honey-glazed chicken and french fries. My family ate it and were happy. We then went to the cemetery to visit my mother. Her gravesite had been cleared out. The flowers and the small, metal fence we placed around her grave marker were gone. I was furious to see my mother’s resting place barren while other gravesites were festooned with flowers, signs, and mini fences. I vowed to buy more decorations for my mom’s grave. I also reminded myself that I needed to finish paying on her headstone.
It’s hard to be thankful when you’re feeling depressed, lonely, or sad. You just want to curl up in bed and stare at the ceiling. You want to drown your sorrows in liquor or junk food. You want to avoid your emotions by doing other things. That’s what I did.
I read magazines and a children’s book about the 1619 enslavement of our people. I did some drawings in my sketchbook. I read a poetry book to glean some ideas for my poems. I put up some Christmas decorations on our front door. I watched a crochet video and tried to learn the craft. I think I can do it. I just need a different kind of yarn. Black Friday is tomorrow and I can pick up what I need at my favorite craft stores.
I know my mother would want me to be better. Depression is not fun. If you’re feeling down during the holidays, you can still be thankful. I forget that I’m alive. My breast cancer is still in remission. My family is healthy. I’m employed and have money in the bank. I’m looking for other streams of income and I’m finding them. I need to push through the depression and do what I need to do.
That’s what we should all do. Find your joy. Seek your truth. Rest, but not too long. There are things that need to be done. Decorate your house. Walk your dog. Call a friend. Check-in on a neighbor. Clear the clutter from your home. Be productive even in the smallest ways. It will help. We’re alive and breathing. We have things to do on this side of life. Let’s do one small thing to add meaning to our day. And be thankful that we can do it.
