I can only focus on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, because those are the festive occasions I have been raised and grew up with. There are many other religious and nationalistic holidays being celebrated across many cultures, across nations, much at the same time.
These gatherings of family and friends mean many things to each of us, some wonderful, some not so great, some pretty awful.
It can be a very sad and lonely and even heart-wrenching time, for those estranged from family and friends for whatever reasons, or especially for families going through death and illness and interruptions to daily life which make it impossible to carry on with such formerly planned festivities. Life throws all of us huge punches to the heart and the gut, usually when we least expect it.
But during this time of year, it can be even more difficult when these life's tragedies present during this holiday season, really life's perils that come about for each of us at one time or another. But the holiday season seems to exacerbate the intensity of disappointment and loss and tragedy when occurring at this time, when plans are disrupted, intended merriment is gone, everything gets put on hold.
My Mom died on Christmas day, as I sat by her side. This cancelled my plans for friends to come for dinner, but it was time for her to leave. It was a relief. That's just a fact of life and death. Everything just slowed down and stopped for a while.
Many elders, already having experienced loss and pain and death of loved ones and friends, likely will spend the holidays alone. The strong ones will understand, and they will relish in a life lived, the good and the bad, and the memories of past holiday celebrations with family and friends. Many others will be just struggling to get through it, morose, lonely and lost. Maybe without the money to heat their home, or even to make a baloney sandwich for Thanksgiving or Christmas Day?
And all the homeless, living on our streets, by the hundreds of thousands now just in the USA. How many will just curl up and die after a fentanyl overdose because life just ain't worth living anymore?
Life is a huge clusterfuck, and the dichotomies of the one's choices, and many are just accidents of families or places of birth, (or even the possibility that we chose our experience before we got here?), the only purpose of this post is to remind us that we are each just human beings, and no one gets out of this life unscathed.
So no matter your personal circumstances, or what horrors and grief and fears you may be experiencing, if possible, try to find some gratitude for something in your life that remains good, and strong, and still viable. And then, give yourself, and the universe a big hug, just because you are each here for a reason, and still alive.
Tomorrow is another day.