 Memories are a beautiful, beautiful thing. While one shouldn’t be so stuck in the memories of the past that they forget to appreciate the present, it’s nice to have moments and those memories in our head that we can remember anytime, anywhere, and no one will every be able to take those away from you. Whether they be happy times, sad times, times that we were weak, times that we had to be strong, times that we had to be there for others, or times that others had to be there for us, every moment of every day makes us into who we are and we’ll always have those times to remind us of times past. To remind us that though times may be hard now, that they will get better. It might not be today or tomorrow, maybe not even next week, but there will come a time when it will indeed feel okay to smile and laugh again.
When you lose someone you love and care about, it hurts. It hurts real bad. It’s a pain that no one wants to feel, but that all of us must face at various points in our lives. Whether it be losing someone to death, losing someone because of a relationship that ended, or losing someone mentally because they’re no longer able to remember things and are out of it, we’ve all experienced a time when we’ve lost something we cared about. As much as we wish we didn’t have to, it’ll come, and when it does, you won’t be the same afterwards. The past few months have been a struggle for me. When I left for the summer, I didn’t think I’d come back and things would be so different. However, life throws us curveballs and my grandma having a stroke during the time I was away was definitely one of them. In my mind, I replay the day before I left and her being at my home a million times. She could walk, she could talk, and she was a sassy, classy lady. Now, she’s in a nursing home and she hasn’t walked in three months. She can’t use the left side of her body, and most of the time when I go to visit her, she cries. She has good and bad days, but either way, it’s hard. Especially with the holidays rolling around, it’s going to be difficult knowing that she won’t be out here with us, sitting around the table, laughing and pigging out on all of the deserts. Today my brother and I cleaned the rest of her apartment out and closed it up and turned in the keys. In my mind, I can see me sitting at her table for hours when I was a kid because I wouldn’t finish my mashed potatoes. My brother hanging out, playing on the floor, but he just wouldn’t help me eat my food. We still laugh about that to this day, because guess what, I now like mashed potatoes. Now, it’s forever gone and there won’t be anymore going back to that little apartment on the seventh floor to hang with granny and her ask a million times if we wanted something else to eat. ( You can never leave her house on an empty belly, EVER). Thanksgiving is a time of thanks, and though some things are harder right now, I do have so much to be thankful for. As I reflect back on it, this year has been full of incredible experiences- across the East coast and South, up north and everything in between; it’s been full of new friendships, old friendships, hard times and fun times. There’ve been many nights with very few hours of sleep and worked long hours the next day, and nights I slept like a grandma with plenty of sleep. It’s encompassed every emotion that one can feel, and I’m grateful for every good and bad time, because it’s molded me into the person I am today. My devotional today focused on giving thanks in both the good times and the bad so that we learn to turn to God and give thanks in every and any situation. So, as the hard times come at us, we learn to give thanks still. It reads “When your mind is occupied with thanking Me, you have no time for worrying or complaining. If you practice thankfulness consistently, negative thought patterns will gradually grow weaker and weaker. Draw near to Me with a grateful heart, and My Presence will fill you with Joy and Peace.” Many of us have lost someone or something. We experience hardships and wish we could just skip past those moments in life. However, we’ve encountered every instance in our life for a reason, and though it doesn’t seem like we should sometimes, we need to look up and thank God during every season in our lives. When we feel weak and like we can’t go on any longer, reflect on the memories of the past and see how you felt that way before, but then came out stronger than ever. Remember the words of wisdom from someone you care about, the lessons that life has taught you, the weakness that turned into strength. Though times might not be the same as they used to be, there’s still much to be thankful for. Though a friend or family member might not be all there, at least they’re still here and alive. Though you might not be as close with a friend as you used to be, at least there’s still a chance to draw him or her close and mend the friendship. You might feel alone in parts of your life and think that no one can relate to you, but I promise, you’re never alone. Sometimes it takes vulnerability to open up to someone about what’s going on in your life, but that can be the best decision you’ll ever make. Hard times won’t last, but tough people do. Stay optimistic and don’t let the world steal your smile. Just try to keep being happy, because you never know who is looking up to you. There’s so many people that you can unknowingly influence. It’s up to us to keep the light shining bright in the dark times in the world. There’s so much tragedy and scary stuff happening, but we can’t let that stop us. The darker the days, the more our light will shine through. Happy Thanksgiving, y’all. May your day be spent with loved ones and friends. May your days be happy, and may your bellies be full. God Bless!<3
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