Thanksgiving For Every Table

November is here, and all of us at LifeCare are delighted to welcome back our northern friends who make South Florida their home each year. It is also a time that we begin to prepare for our national holiday and the day of Thanksgiving in the US. For some, this is a time to be excited for favorite foods, beloved traditions, and visiting family and friends. Still, for others, it can be a time of struggle and loneliness with chairs that are empty this year or fear that we cannot physically, mentally, or cognitively manage all that we are "supposed to do".

As LifeCare's designated blog writer, I could write pages and pages of generic advice for you on this topic. I can organize those lists by subject, separating tips by physical therapy from those by occupational therapy, and I could add lots of "Don't forget to do your exercises!" in big, bold print.

However, as I write this post, and having just seen some of the devastation from Jamaica and missing my Dad who won't be at the table this year, it doesn't feel like that is what is needed today. What is needed is grace. Grace for the host who is struggling to create the perfect meal in an imperfect world, grace for the loved one who may struggle with the changes in routine, grace for the caregiver(s) who work every day, and grace for the visiting family member who does not understand how much their loved one has changed since the last visit. Let's shift the focus from a postcard-perfect holiday to a table of kindness and love, focusing first on grace for both yourself and those around you.

From the LifeCare Therapy Team

A Thanksgiving Wish

Some seats are softly empty, named in quiet light,

We fold their memories into napkins and keep them near tonight.

Some minds drift like autumn leaves; some words slip from the thread,

We listen with our whole selves to hear the things unsaid.

For those with hands that tremble, and those whose hearts have holes,

We pass small plates of comfort and gather up the souls.

For laughter that arrives late, for tears that come on time,

We map the day in gentle turns and honor every line.

Some houses hum with neighbors, children at the door,

Some sit with steady silence, or miss a voice they bore.

If grief sits at your corner, let kindness be the chair;

If memory wanders, let the warmth be what you share.

May soup be easy-swallowed, may stories be distilled,

May music stitch the moments that the calendar has filled.

May hands that teach and hands that care find rest within the day,

May jokes that loosen tension help the heavy things to sway.

We give a place for longing and a space for simple cheer,

A light for those who miss them, and a hand for those who’re here.

No single table holds the whole of what we are—

But every small and tender grace will guide us where we are.

So we lift a quiet blessing for the lonely and the loved,

For the brave who keep on giving, for the gentle, and the tough.

For every face that gathers, whether near or far from view,

We offer up this Thanksgiving: our very best wishes for you.

.... don't forget your exercises

(sorry, I couldn't resist)

Until next month....