November always sends me thinking about what I’m thankful for. We are so blessed to take time every year to celebrate our blessings. It’s time to thank God for all He does for us.
Humbly acknowledging the people in our lives who support and encourage us, readily step up to help in times of stress or emergency and take time to participate in life with us is critical. It’s vital to recognize these friends and family in our lives. They enrich our journey in all the most important ways. This support helps us flourish even in the sad and difficult seasons of life.
November is the gateway to what many people consider the most wonderful time of the year. It is a time when families come together to share traditions and memories, and experience new and treasured times that will become new memories to share in the future.
This reality can make this season very confusing and emotional after the loss of our husband. He was at the center of the traditions and celebrations. Remembering him amid all the triggers of the season can be a mix of painful and wonderful. Tears come from both joy and sorrow. Emotions are more difficult to control. Our hearts are filled to overflowing.
Prayerfully you will have the right kind of people around you to support you through this time. Sadly, many widows feel alone and abandoned with their husband gone. Friendships change when you’re no longer a couple. Family members may be dealing with their own journey through grief and seem distant or changed.
Life as we knew it is gone. We stumble like a blind person trying to find some thread of the old familiar. We are building a whole new life.
How do we navigate this new path? It’s difficult for everyone. It’s different for everyone. Widows with great support will more easily adapt and likely face less troubles and experience a greater level of joy through the holidays. Widows who don’t have a stable support system are at risk of depression, physical illness, withdrawal from society, or worse.
Embracing an attitude of gratitude is something we can control. A grateful heart brings wonderful benefits. Gratitude fosters feelings and emotions that improve both physical and mental health. Counting your blessings will help you sleep better, improve self-esteem, and improve your ability to empathize with others.
This is why God tells us in the Bible to maintain a thankful attitude. He wants us to reap the rewards that promote health and happiness. We can give our cares and worries to God to handle and thank Him for His faithfulness to take care of them.
Pour out all your worries and stress upon Him and leave them there, for He always tenderly cares for you. 1 Peter 5: 7
It is my sincere prayer you will find peace and blessing in the coming holidays. As Thanksgiving draws near, consider all the blessings you can be thankful for. It’s all right to miss your husband. Grief will likely stick its nose in your gatherings and your alone time. Shew it away by adding new balance with a heart full of thanks. Happy Thanksgiving.
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Looking for a way you can make a difference and give back this holiday season? Embrace the spirit of giving by participating in Hope for Widows Foundation’s third annual ‘Bring Hope’ virtual program that directly assists a widow’s family who cannot provide gifts for their children or other necessities during this holiday season. Some widows who are struggling to make ends meet during this time simply do not have the luxury of purchasing gifts when their finances require them to choose between keeping the lights on and food on the table or purchasing presents. Add in the factors of solo parenting, grief, and the emotional and physical toll it takes. If you would like more details on how you can support a widow and her family, please EMAIL US directly for questions at info@hopeforwidows.org or to sponsor, go here for details and to fill out the application: https://linktr.ee/hopeforwidows
About Teri Miner
Teri’s dance with grief actually began over five years before she watched her beloved husband of almost 37 years take his last breath and enter Heaven’s door on October 6, 2019. A terminal degenerative neurological disease steadily and increasingly attacked nearly every major system of his body and transformed him from a vibrant, brilliant, strong and caring man to a bedfast invalid at the end. She was devoted to caring for him and doing her best to make the most of every minute they had left, to love him and pray for a miracle.
She thought she knew what her future held, but she had no idea. Losing him was the first time she experienced a close and personal loss. He was the love of her life. The onslaught of the pandemic with its reign of fear-mongering, forced isolation and separation entering the scene and disrupting or destroying whatever sense of “normal” that remained, just added insult to injury.
Her faith in God is the sustaining force keeping her fighting spirit to find and share hope in a bright future. Her heart’s desire is to walk beside her fellow widows toward a path of promise and healing. She wants to offer encouragement and hope so others can find the strength to take that next breath or next step. She recently started her own blog, https://widowwhispers.blogspot.com/, to share with other widows not only the struggles and hardships of widowhood, but the triumphs. Her hope is found in leaning on the Lord Jesus to enjoy a God inspired future anchored in expectation He will bring us to a fulfilling and meaningful life.