Our Thanksgiving Gift - Revisited from 2014

I originally shared this post in 2014, just six months after our son Matthew had passed away and we were "celebrating" (if you can call it that) our first Thanksgiving without him. Although we didn't often actually spend Thanksgiving together because he and his family lived in Maine, and we live in Florida, but it was just the fact that he was no longer there for us to call or talk to or look forward to seeing here on earth ever again.  So you can imagine how we were feeling as we approached the holiday season that year...a little empty and sad and not really in a celebratory mood.  And then this happened:

Original Post written 11/27/2014:

Just as our family was gathering together to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast, this lovely, regal creature, an American Bald Eagle, flew into a nearby treetop to bless us with his presence. Actually there were two of them, but this one stayed long enough for me to get a few pictures.

It is not very often that we have an opportunity to witness such a magnificent bird up close.  I was awestruck by his beauty and majestic bearing. I was also somewhat comforted by his presence. There was something about this unusual encounter that brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face.

All week long I have been trying NOT to think about the fact that this week marks the sixth month since our son Matthew passed away.(Click HERE for more about that).  It isn't so much the fact that this is Thanksgiving, the first significant holiday since he left us for heaven...primarily because we really have not celebrated Thanksgiving with Matthew and his family very often due to the fact that they lived so far away from us and we had more family here near us that we usually spent this day with.  It's actually just the reality that he has been gone for six months...and there are times that I find myself thinking that it still can't be true.  There are moments when I still feel like I should be able to pick up the phone and call him and hear his voice...and sometimes the longing to do that gets to me.

So anyway, today I was trying not to think about the fact that our family pictures will never be complete again...and our Thanksgiving table will never be completely full...and there will always be someone very dear missing from our family gatherings no matter how many people are there...or how many months may go by...our son's sweet presence will never be physically with us again.

Then this eagle flew in and just sat there for a spell.  That was pretty significant if you ask me. Sometimes God knows how to send us little love messages from heaven.  He knows how to reach us and give the comfort we need at a tender moment.

I like that He chose an eagle to show us His love today.

"But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31  

Have you ever sung this song?

"On Eagle's Wings"

by Michael Joncas

"You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord
Who abide in His shadow for life
Say to the Lord
"My refuge, my rock in whom I trust!"

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand.

The snare of the fowler will never capture you
And famine will bring you no fear
Under His wings your refuge
His faithfulness your shield.

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand.

You need not fear the terror of the night
Nor the arrow that flies by day
Though thousands fall about you
Near you it shall not come.

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand.

For to His angels He's given a command
To guard you in all of your ways
Upon their hands they will bear you up
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand..."

This was an unexpected blessing for our Thanksgiving day. God knows exactly what we need.

How about you? What unexpected blessings have you experienced this Thanksgiving...or this past week? Has God gone out of His way to show you He is always thinking about you, and that He loves you so much that He would go to extra lengths to show you just how much?  Think about it. I'll bet you could come up with something if you try.

"And God will raise you up on eagle's wings, Bear you on the breath of dawn, Make you to shine as the sun, and hold you in the palm of His hand."

Back to the present...November 23, 2021:     As we anticipate Thanksgiving this week, I am sure there are some of you who are going to experience a difficult day...many have suffered great loss in the past year  or two and this may be the first Thanksgiving without a significant loved one in your life.  I pray that God will show you His unfailing love and compassion as He bears you up on eagle's wings and carries you through the sorrow and trying times ahead.  May you feel His divine Presence in your heart and life, and know that He is holding you in the palm of His hand...and that your loved one is safe in the heavenly home God has prepared for him/her.  Be watching for those little signs and blessings that God may send your way to show you He is there for you.  Amen. and God Bless you, my friends.