Thankful for family

I Thessalonians 5:13-15
Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.

I probably should have read this and posted my comments this morning. The thing is I am thankful that our family holidays are usually pleasant. We had about 21 here for Thanksgiving dinner; then Cindy and I and the kids will go to the movie together tonight--something we started doing many years ago. In the back of my mind all day I have realized that one very important person was missing. Jason hasn't always been here on Thanksgiving because he has been in Ft. Worth at an annual horse show several times in recent years, but his absence was palpable to me today.
I was afraid to say much because I didn't want to cry and make everyone uncomfortable. They would have understood completely because they were all feeling the same thing. I think we were all just "making it through the day." I am receiving good counsel about surviving the holidays from a couple of ladies who have traveled this horrible path years ago. They assure me that I will always remember and miss Jason, but it won't always be this painful. Later I will have sweet memories of him and be able to laugh and talk about him without crying. I wish I could skip these years, but that's not the way it works.