As we celebrate Thanksgiving with our love ones here are some tips to help you survive the holiday in the midst of grieving the loss of someone special in your life.

True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
We are what we believe we are. C.S Lewis

At last night's gathering of GriefShare, we discovered some useful information to help us survive the approaching Thanksgiving holiday. 

 I remember, for example, watching my mom having an especially difficult with her sad feelings whenever we went over to the relatives for the holidays- it was those years she and her sister's suffered the loss of their mother.  I didn't think about the impact her mom's death had on her until I went through several sessions of grief share and learned the powerful impact loss has on a person's life. 

The reality is none of us really do understand because research tells us that those of us who live in western civilized countries are the least prepared to handle grief when it comes. We deny our grief by focusing all of our energies on working hard while shoving all of our emotions into a square box and burying it with hopes it never rears its ugly head.  

In reality, this never works because eventually, the ugly emotions of our grief will rise to the surface when we're least able to process them.   I learn that some will process those losses through crying, while still others will process that pain through excessive alcohol consumption, using illicit drugs, or behaviorally acting out.  It seems that the one who cries is often looked upon with disdain, but in reality, the one who cries is the healthy one.

We talked about the ways we can remove the elephant from the room at family gatherings where we know that someone has died, but no one can find a way to talk about her. 

Sometimes all it takes is to bring a candle to the family gathering and explain this candle is to represent the loss you suffered this past year and you would love it if you could light the candle and set it on a table as a reminder of this loved one.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the 'blessings' in your life. As you pass this glowing candle it presents opportunities for you and your loved ones to share a memory or two about the special loved one who has died.

As I have learned from my journey, we have a God who can be in all places at one time. He is here with us through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and He is there in heaven with our loved one. The power of the holy trinity is something to behold-God the Father, God the son and God the holy spirit.

As you embrace your emotions, instead of burying them, while putting one foot in front of the other by attending a church near you, you will experience God's healing of your own particular grief journey.

Finally, I would encourage everyone experiencing a loss of someone special to consider getting involved in a Griefshare group near you. This is a 13-week group that will teach you how to go through the pain than around it. Locating such a group is as simple as clicking on this link: https://www.griefshare.org

Our God is truly an amazing God!