Good morning, Blog Family,
We are about to kick off my favorite time of year: the holiday season. I have so many reasons why I love this season, and here are just a few.
The excitement of Christmas that showed in my children's eyes when they were younger. I have always LOVED Christmas and tried to instill the love of the season in them. Long before I got to know God on a one on one basis, I knew the Christmas story. While I didn't understand the significance of God giving of Himself to the world, I did understand that I was giving something to people that I really cared about and loved. When I was a child, it may have been an art project that I spent hours on before lovingly wrapping it for my mom. Or saving to get my sister a doll or some lip gloss. I just wanted to give to them out of love.
In all the giving, I learned to be thankful. Thankful for the little things. Thankful that my mom remembered that I wanted those Chic jeans. Thankful that I had food to eat. Growing up overseas in impoverished countries during my elementary school years, I saw people hungry and without the basics like food and shelter. My mom would cook and we would have people over to laugh and share our gratefulness for God's Grace and Mercy.
This year is bittersweet for me, I still want to get into the holiday spirit. I still want to be thankful, but it's hard to be thankful while in grief. My mom went home to be with the Lord October 28th. Thanksgiving was a day that I would hear "hurry up and chop those bell peppers." or "Cut those sweet potatoes for the candy yams" or "MzNewy, you are always so slow shredding that cheese." Mom was a drill sargeant leading the troops in the kitchen for Thanksgiving. I am thankful that my mom is out of pain. I am grateful for the time I had with her, but this year, I thought I can't do the whole dinner thing. This year, I planned to sit quietly and reflect of Thanksgivings gone by missing the matriarch of our family. I think mom wouldn't want that, so I am going to do what she always did: I am going to get up and give of myself in the kitchen, thankful for all of the things she taught me, grateful for the good memories. Afterall, it's about Thanks and Giving.
This has been another Newy perspective.
About Me
- Newy
- Mother of 2, Child of God in DMV "They always ask me if I make it am I going to forget about them, but the question is, if I don't make it will they forget about me?" My spin : RealTalk When u are up everyone wants to hang on, but look for the ones that let you lean on when you are down. Remember...don't just look for me when I am up, support me when I'm down. ♥ In prosperity, your friends know you, in adversity, you know your friends. I asked God for strength, I got adversity. I asked God for wisdom, I was made a fool of. I asked for patience, I had a difficult relationship. I looked back, He gave me what I asked for. Adversity showed me I was stronger than I thought; being a fool opened my eyes to discernment making me wise; the difficult relationship showed me that patience is earned not given. Blessings come in many forms, not all of them recognizable.
7 comments:
Hello Ms Newy,
First off, so sorry to hear about your mom, my condolences to all of your family and secondly Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. I'm sure you are gonna make your mom proud, because in many ways our mom's have been preparing us all our lives, with the cutting, the grating, mixing and chopping. Much luv to you!
Thanks Miz! We appreciate the thoughts and prayers. You have a wonderful and Blessed Thanksgiving as well.
Just discovered your blog this week.
Thanks for stopping by my house to comment.
It's so good to truly have a thankful heart. I am sorry for your recent loss of your mother & glad that you have found a meaningful way to honor her.
Thanks BC for your condolences and for stopping by. I discovered you this week as well. I love your blog and will stop by often.
First off my condolences for your loss....but I know that you'll make it through! We lost my aunt at the end of September and she was the Thanksgiving host in our family. So I have invited everyone to my house so that we can still be together. You'll think of her when you chop those peppers and grate that cheese and you'll be thankful for the memories...you can do it!
Newy, to say I love your blog would be an understatement...it totally rocks! Having said that, I know how you feel. I remember the first holiday season without my mom, I felt like a gaping hole was in my heart. To make matters worse, I purchased my family home and my parents still lived with me so, the memories in the house were so thick you could cut them with a knife. I was raised in the house, I raised my kids in the house and my mom died in her bed, in that house.
I made myself get in that kitchen (sometimes you have to make yourself move against the grief) and began cooking. Newy, I will tell you no lie, my mother's presence in the kitchen with me was so heavy, I'd have to walk out of the room and come back. At first, it was hard but, I let my spirit welcome hers and we made that Thanksgiving meal together. Me in this realm, she in another.
Newy, your mom is with you...trust me on that one. The first year is the hardest but, the pain will lessen and the memories will fill that space in such a beautiful way. God is awesome to give us such a spectacular coping mechanism like that. I don't see how we could ever survive the loss of our parents if we didn't have it.
Have a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving.
@ Diva... Thanks girl for your words of encouragement. I got up chopping and grating....Just like she would have wanted. I pray your family gathering was Blessed.
@Bayou - I love your blog to..it is AWESOME!!!!We got up..cooked, grated, chopped, smiled and left her favorite seat open so she could join us. we got through it together and felt her presence embrace us. I hope and pray you had a wonderful and Blessed Thanksgiving.
Post a Comment