Keep The Memories And Keep The Faith As We Head Into Thanksgiving

Our blogger buddy Tim Bryce has some timeless advice for this tragic time as we contemplate Thanksgiving in the face of senseless death and hate in the world.

BLACK NOVEMBER
by Tim Bryce

This has been a strange month. Quite a few of my friends have lost loved-ones this month. In particular, two lost grand daughters, another lost a mother, another a father, and a Masonic brother.

I cannot begin to imagine their pain, particularly those losing young ones, but they seem to be resilient and quietly bear their grief. Another friend is about to lose his wife of nearly fifty years of marriage due to cancer. She was a great woman from Scotland and a good friend.

The interesting thing is all these deaths have all come rather suddenly during the month of November. It seems such deaths come in cycles as I've heard of no other deaths this year.

Then there are the recent deaths in Paris incurred by Islamic terrorists which none of us truly understand. I guess when it rains it pours. Losing a loved-one is a sort of right of passage, something we must all suffer through. We generally expect our elders to pass before us, but not our offspring or grandchildren. I tend to believe it takes a little something out of us spiritually when this happens. All we can do is just take it, and hope we have family and friends to support us.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we will miss the smiling faces of our loved-ones around the dinner table. It would be sad if we forgot them, which is why I devised the following grace some time ago, titled, "A Thanksgiving Moment":
“Let us enjoy the moment, cherish the moment, remember the moment.
Let us first remember those moments where we shared many a story, a joke and debate, with those loved ones at this very table, those who have gone on before us, yet we fondly remember.
Let us now take a moment and make our own mental photograph of every person at this table, what was said, what we looked like, what we ate, and the love in our hearts.
Let us remember this moment, let us cherish this moment, let us give thanks for this moment, as time slips silently away.
Amen.”

I know it will be difficult for those of you who recently lost a friend or family member, but try to have a Happy Thanksgiving. Keep the Faith!

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com