Giving Thanks to Jan
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes, 16 seconds
November 25, 2021
My two favorite holiday memories are the first and last Thanksgiving with Jan. I was alone before I met Jan, and I am alone again. The first time was easier to manage, and today will be my first Thanksgiving without her.
This year, I could have gone with Mike and Elyssa for Thanksgiving, and I even had other offers to make a place at the table for me.
I chose not to go anywhere for Thanksgiving, not because I would not have enjoyed myself, but because I will be volunteering to help the homeless on Thursday and Friday with Bridges Outreach.
In my heart, I felt it was what Jan would want me to do this year, and I knew It was what I needed to do. Both Jan and I spent our lives working to repair the world.
Volunteering with Bridges allowed me to help others and partially repay all the support and love I have received since Jan died. In a future Thanksgiving, I may choose to break bread with family and friends.
But this year, it needs to be about giving to others, as it is the best way today for me to share Jan’s love.
May you all be blessed with a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!
Love never dies; it only grows stronger.
Authors Note: I may update this post or stream with details about my volunteer work.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
After almost 48 years, I recently lost my wife, Jan Lilien. Like The Little Prince, Jan and I believed that “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.” This blog is a collection of my random thoughts on love, grief, life, and all things considered.
