This is a Thursday Thought about family.  Lord knows that even reading that one simple sentence may bring up complicated feelings.  Family dynamics can be especially challenging during this time of the year.  Just google “dealing with family on Thanksgiving” and one will find survival tips for Thanksgiving family gatherings, some more helpful than others depending on one’s situation.

Neill and I returned Monday night after a whirlwind long weekend in Las Vegas to celebrate my one and only sister turning 40.  There was a time in our lives when Maureen and I didn’t have a great relationship.  We are totally opposite in a lot of ways and annoyingly similar in other ways.  At one point in our adolescence (after a particularly bad fight), our mother tearfully reminded us that the relationship a person has with siblings may just be one of the longest relationships of your life.  For instance, my husband has been in my life for 3 years.  My older sister?  For all 38 years of my life!   As we’ve gotten older, we’ve come to appreciate our differences and I now think of my sister as the sun to my moon.  

Thanksgiving and Christmas are on the horizon. 
Spending time with our families may bring joy and peace. 
Spending time with our families may bring anxiety, anger, or sadness. 
Take good care of yourself as we remember that Jesus called us to love God, love our neighbors, and love ourselves. 

Love,
Pastor Lauren 

Photo by Rev. Lauren L. Ostrout.

Thursday Thoughts 11/17/22