Better Together: Finding gratitude beyond Thanksgiving
By Shirley Hickman, Volunteer
The first year after a workplace tragedy, it may be too difficult to think about giving thanks, and we struggle with all the messages in our community. Our friends appear to be looking forward to the normal Thanksgiving weekend. But for those in the early stages of coping with an occupational disease, life-altering injury or the death of a family member, these community celebration days are difficult. Please know you aren’t alone and reach out to your support network. Perhaps find one thing to be thankful for.
Thanksgiving weekend is the first thing that comes to mind for October as Canadians come together to celebrate. Families gather together with a feast, perhaps a turkey or ham, perhaps pumpkin pie, but usually lots of food. The leaves on the trees take on a wonderful colour with the cooler days.
October for our family has a lot of celebration days. Bob and I were married on Thanksgiving weekend, 57 years ago and our son and daughter-in-law also married on a Thanksgiving weekend. We have a lot to be thankful for, yet there is still the empty chair at the table, where Tim would have been. What would he be doing for Thanksgiving if he had lived? I offer thanks each day for all my family and all my blessings. It helps me to focus.
Let’s hear what our members have to say about their October reflections:
Natalie shares: Choosing the positive
While fear and negative emotions are what so often come naturally, they don’t have to stay. What you choose to look at and focus on will perpetuate in your life. I have found this to be true with gratitude. The more you practice positive thinking, the more it is reinforced. As you choose to focus on gratitude you may begin to find yourself operating out of that mindset more naturally.
Giving thanks is a choice. This does take practice and intentionality, but you will find that the posture of gratitude has a ripple effect throughout your life. When we focus on the good and give thanks for what we have, it seems to blur and put into perspective the bad. It turns what we have into enough and allows us to acknowledge, celebrate and embrace the good.
Kimberly shares: All about family
When I think about giving thanks, I think about family. Not just using it as a line, but legit thankful for my family. We have always taught our boys the importance of showing up for each other as often as possible. In the Fall, as life dials up to chaotic between school and sports, it is heartwarming to see them still asking for sleepovers with their cousins, or for their grandparents to come cheer them on in the stands. Family memories are a year-round must for us, but I always feel a little more thankful in the Fall as we celebrate their birthdays as well. It is just as important for me to still be making memories with my nieces and nephews – whether it be at concerts, the movies or just sitting and reading a book.
Lisa shares: Finding Gratitude Beyond Thanksgiving
When I think about October, it’s not just about Thanksgiving—it’s about the quiet, meaningful moments that invite gratitude. For me, that means memories of long weekends spending time with my dad on his sailboat. Mornings were peaceful, with coffee in hand and mist rising off the lake. We’d talk, laugh, or simply sit in silence, letting the wind guide us. Those moments reminded me that giving thanks isn’t reserved for holidays—it’s found in connection, stillness, and the beauty of being present with someone you love.
INVITATION FROM SHIRLEY: If you have an idea for a topic we can discuss for the Better Together series, please let us know. Send me your thoughts for our November topic, reflecting on memories, or others. Email me at [email protected].
Read the other blogs in our Better Together series:
Better Together -A September Re-Set
Better Together – What’s on the Barbecue