Perhaps you have gathered or are gathering around a table with those you love today. If so, that is wonderful, may it be a really good time.
Perhaps you are missing those who cannot be with you for whatever reason this year or maybe you are missing those who will never be able to be present at your table again. These holiday meals bring that into rather sharp focus. I am sorry. May you know comfort and God’s presence as you sit with this without them.
It is good to be thankful for the relationships we have that are good and healthy and life giving and at the same time to mourn those that are not as we would want them to be. It’s a tension that we all hold in different ways.
‘What relationships are you thankful for?’
How might you tell them about your gratitude for them?
And then for the hard things… tell God about the relationships that are complicated, harder, or absent altogether. God knows all about it already. And if you need to, talk to someone who is a safe set of ears to share your story with. Like the expression says, ‘it’s okay to not be okay’