Thanksgiving 2022 — grateful, yet grieving
As you sit down today at your table and give thanks, I offer up this quote by Henri Nouwen followed by a prayer.
“To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives—the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections—that requires hard spiritual work.
Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say “thank you” to all that has brought us to the present moment.
As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for.
Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.”
Henri Nouwen
Dear Heavenly Father,
Our hearts are full of thanks for all You have done for us: Your bountiful provision, Your endless grace, Your daily mercies, Your unfailing love and unlimited faithfulness. Thank You for who You are; our Savior, Redeemer, Refuge, Comforter, Provider, Protector, and Friend.
As we recall with gratitude today, we remember those we loved that are not here with us. Thank You for their life, their love, and their legacy. Truly, we are grateful, yet grieving as we pause to give thanks to You, the Almighty God who collects our tears and walks with us through the valley of the shadow.
Let us know in the deepest crevices of our soul Your sustaining presence, peace as we hold tight to Your promises that You are with us.
In the Mighty Name of Jesus, Amen.
