Thanksgiving has come and gone. I wonder if there could ever be a way to keep Thanksgiving in our hearts and lives year-round.

Thankfulness can mean so many things for each of us. This time of year brings memories of happy times, sad moments and many things in-between. I know that the good times are easy to remember, while the sad and painful ones would be best left in our past. But it’s those “in-between moments” that can swing the pendulum of our life story in one direction or another.

In the past, I spent the day before Thanksgiving cooking and baking. On that Wednesday, I started my morning at a hospital having studies done on my injured shoulder. While it might have been tempting to complain about my injury, instead I felt gratitude that I have access to health care and, most importantly, I looked forward to leaving the hospital after my tests were completed. How many people don’t have the option of leaving the hospital? How many would love to look forward to even one more Thanksgiving? How many know that this day of thankfulness will be their last? One last time to let their loved ones know that even in their absence this day should remain one of introspection and contemplation. What a perfect chance to know they have been blessed with the gift of life and the opportunity to make a difference for others.

But sometimes our circumstances don’t allow for anything but grief. A few hours after my shoulder procedure I received the sad news that our son and daughter-in-law’s sweet dog Annabelle had passed away. While the pain of their loss was and is still palpable, I hope that in time they will fondly remember all the joy she brought them and laugh at her crazy antics. After all, how many dogs do you know that have had a “fist fight” with a Praying Mantis? This rambunctious, fiercely loving dog with a menacing underbite will be missed not only at Thanksgivings thereafter, but daily, in one way or another.

Many of us have lost more than the presence of those we cherish. Those who have lost childhood and personhood to abuse and neglect find themselves buried within a black blanket of numbness, or even worse, sorrow and anger. How could there be thankfulness for a previous or present life filled with nothing but ill-will at the hands of those who feed on our vulnerabilities? Where was mercy when our abusers found joy in belittling or battering us?

My gratitude stems from my escaping my abuse and healing. The scar tissue that formed, layer upon later, falsely gave me the belief I had walked away from the tormenting and turmoil. Sadly this was not the case. My past remained beneath the scars and bubbled furiously below the landscape of misery I thought long gone. But the soul remembers. Especially wounded souls.

With therapy came healing. With healing came gratitude. With gratitude came my book and my website (Iamdanaandrews.com) and my two Facebook pages Iamdanaandrews and Menareabused2.

For me now, Thanksgiving is a daily reminder of all that I have been through, all that I have and all that I am. Daily I remember that we can neither control nor prevent our circumstances, but we do have a choice in how we choose to walk through our days. While beginnings and endings are a given, it’s the “in-between” where life takes on meaning! Still, there are things life hands us that we don’t wish to keep. Inevitably, losses affect all of us and impact us differently. Sometimes sadness lingers, and at other times it inspires us. I hope that this post might bring you to a place of introspection while leaving some space for contemplation of thankfulness and maybe even joy.

After all, our hearts were built to hold both sadness and joy. When we learn to chase away the anger and pain we sometimes hold onto, we make more room in our hearts for love. Lord knows we could all use more love and kindness in our sometimes hurting hearts!

I felt so inspired to write and share this blog post with the hope that reading it will touch your heart as much as writing it touched mine. May today be one of gratitude for you. Hopefully the thankfulness and appreciation I found in writing this will bring you a measure of contentment and contemplation.

These words all came from my heart and are meant for yours- served with a heaping helping of healing. May mercy be yours along with blessings to you in the upcoming holidays and every day! I am blessed by you...