A time for Thanksgiving and reflection

A time for Thanksgiving and reflection is here.
There is so much going on with many people on a personal level and on a statewide level.
Tragedy is the word of the week.
A family in our church lost their oldest son in a car accident.
What a terrible loss and shock.
Then a car smashed into a group of parade band players wrecking so many lives in the middle of carnage.
SO unnecessary, so horrible.
I have few words to share about any of this; it is just too difficult to wrap my mind around the why.
Last night I was getting ready for bed as I was thinking of Thanksgiving and the dinner to come.
Families will have one table setting missing. One chair empty. A chair EMPTY.
What do you do?
The parade could have had multiple kids in a family.
I am not aware of the names or the damage I just know it was horrible.
Thanksgiving, A time for giving thanks.
Can we really do that in the middle of crisis times>
Grief follows those around whose hearts are broken and weary.
No one can prepare you for the loss of a loved one.
It is not in a book that one can read, it is not a class for preparation.
It is in the shock of hearing and receiving the news.
YOUR loved one is gone. Injured. Wounded somewhere in a hospital bed.
Someone who did not know you or them or anyone else, just kept driving.
Someone caused the intensity and the life altering moments forever.
At a time of Thanks giving we are a bit confused how we can do it.
Give thanks with a grateful heart.
But how if your loved one is gone or seriously injured?
Our Pastor spoke on Sunday, how you just have to keep pressing forward.
He is very sad, having lost a lot of those who meant the most to him this year.
It is not an easy job and sometimes your own emotions cannot be pushed down anymore.
A time for Thanksgiving and reflection is here.
Let us take some time for some quiet.