Grateful for What We Still Have — grateful, yet grieving
Last year I was able to hear Dr. Edith Eva Eger, author of “The Choice” speak at a conference. She is a psychologist and holocaust survivor who recently turned 93. As I listened, I was mesmerized by how she viewed the world after living through the horrors of the holocaust. She said things that appeared contrary to what you would expect from enduring such suffering. Things like, “don’t try to forget or overcome – come to terms with.” There was a statement that gripped me when she said, “You have a choice to concentrate on what you lost or what you still have.”
As we approach the end of 2020, it would appear that there has been a host of losses.
Lockdowns, restrictions and disappointments have created a sense of insecurity. A look back on our calendars gives a vivid reminder of everything we didn’t get to do. But what if we considered Dr. Eger’s words and focused on what we still have.
Gratitude is the door that allows us to remember what we still have. I have a friend who has created an Instagram post using the ABC’s of gratitude. I have joined in and commented. I found myself being grateful for books, coffee, dogs, and empathy from a friend. Just listing those few things helped me regain my footing in this strange season of so much change.
Thanksgiving may look a little different this year around the table. However, what doesn’t have to look different is how we can be grateful for what we still have and what will always remain.
I Cor. 13:13, “Now these three remain: faith, hope and love – but the greatest of these is love.”
