Giving Thanks

It's been a rough year, and with it, rough times. With the holiday season coming around, there are signs and inspirational quotes everywhere that read along the lines of...

If you have ever been through rough times, it's hard being surrounded by the phrase "give thanks" and take it in stride. How could you possibly be grateful while experiencing loss? 

To clarify, the loss I am referring to is not an expensive cashmere scarf left at the bar, or a pearl earring lost on the sidewalk in the city. The loss I am referring to is losing someone in your life who is worth more than all of the laser-cut diamonds on public display and the unpolished gems still buried deep in the earth.

Loss, at any magnitude, makes life difficult. But sometimes loss that carries a certain weight has the potential to make life unbearable... 

Notice I used the word 'potential.' It could, but it doesn't have to. 

Even though giving thanks is the last thing you feel like doing, the conscious action of remembering, loving, and cherishing the people and the things around you is what will help ease the pain. Make the decision to give thanks every day--be it in the littlest thing--and peace will find you.