Sometimes the holiday season seems like an obligatory task rather than an opportunity to congregate with those close in our lives. We collectively get caught up in the idea that we’re required to participate in holiday festivities instead of what a blessing it is to actually be around those who matter to us most. It becomes a chore to make sure every home is visited on Thanksgiving and gifts are handed out at Christmas time. We can even become reluctant to spend quality time with those people in our lives who we’re sharing the holidays with.

I had similar thoughts about the holiday season until an event caused me to pause and reflect on how special this time of year is. While a lot of people were participating in Thanksgiving with their loved ones other people throughout our land were experiencing illness, depression and even death. The latter was the event in which I experienced this Thanksgiving. As a healthcare professional we see illness and death on a daily basis. Most healthcare professionals are truly called to this line of work because of the emotional nature the job can be. This even rings true on a holiday.

Personally experiencing in the momentous life event for a family as they say their final goodbyes to a loved one on Thanksgiving causes one to realize what the holidays truly are to us. Holidays are an opportunity to spend time with those we love. It’s not an obligation or a chore, rather it’s a rare life blessing. How many more Thanksgiving visits or Christmas gift exchanges will we get to have? None of us have guarantees of any more time from one day to the next. There will be more football games, social media posts and shopping opportunities. However, having a chance to speak with a loved one or friend sitting next to you in this moment may never happen again.

So for the remaining time we have let’s live in the moment and enjoy the blessing of extra time we have with those who matter to us most. Losing time with those we love is something we can never get back.

ACR