Look Beyond The Smile

As The Holidays Are Approaching, Please Remember Many Of Your Friends And Relatives May Feel Differently About The Season. There May Be An Empty Seat At The Thanksgiving Table This Year. The Absence Seems To Never Go Away. Sure I Am Not Crying Every Day Like I Did When My Son Passed Away. There Is Never A Day That Goes By I Don't Think Of Bobby. I Will Miss Him Every Day For The Rest Of My Life.
I Have No Suggestions On What To Do To Help Ease The Pain Of Missing The Ones We Loved So Much. Last Thanksgiving Is Just A Blur To Me. I Cannot Remember What We Did. I Can However Remember That I Really Wanted No Part In Celebrating The Holidays As In Years Past.
I Gladly Accepted An Invitation From My Parents To Meet Them In Champaign At Ryan's Steak House For Thanksgiving Meal. Included Will Be My Brother And His Wife. I Will Consider This Year To Be A Tradition For Every Thanksgiving For Years To Come. I Cannot Bear The Thought Of Going Back To Traditional Thanksgiving Meals At Home Minus Bobby.
Now I Understand The Pain So Many Feel Around The Holiday Season. The Loss They Have In Their Hearts For The One Who Is No Longer With Us. There Are Times When I Feel I Cannot Go On. Yes I Am The Guy You See With The Smile On His Face At The Bowling Alley Or Playing Euchre, Or Picking Up Rummage Sale Items And Distributing Them To The Poor.
Behind That Smile Is Someone Who Is Crying On The Inside. Starting New Traditions Is A Good Idea. I Just Can't Go Back To The Ways Things Use To Be. It's Just Too Painful.
So I'm Glad We Accepted This Invitation For Thanksgiving Dinner. We Can Enjoy The Fellowship With My Parents Who Are Getting Older And Who Also Someday Will Be Just A Memory Of My Past. It Will Make This Thanksgiving Dinner More Bearable For All That Is Sitting At The Table. Yet We Still Have Much To Be Thankful For And This Is The True Reason For The Holiday. Even Though We Might Have Lost A Family Member We Still Have Family That Surround Us. We Still Have Our Continued Good Health Minus The Aches And Pains From Minor Ailments. We Have A Warm Home And A Warm Bed To Sleep In At Night. We May Not Be Eating Steaks But Good Food That Fulfills Our Body's Needs.
So If You Know Of Someone Who Has Lost A Loved One And You Feel They Are Lonely, You Are Probably Right. They May Not Admit It. They Will Most Likely Be The One Who Is Smiling At You At The Grocery Store Check Out Lane Or Serving You With That Smile. Don't Let That Smile Fool You Though, They Are Really Crying On The Inside Because Of Loneliness. That's Right, A Person Can Be In A Room Full Of People And Still Feel Lonely.

I Ask Of You To Keep These People In Your Prayers And Thoughts This Year And Every Year Around The Holiday Season.