When you think of the word hope, it generally means things that are not certain but hoped for. I hope I passed that test, I hope I get a good doctor’s report, I hope I get that promotion at work etc.

In the spiritual sense that word hope means something different. It means the forward looking of something that is certain. What are you striving for and looking forward to? The hope of heaven means a full-on expectation of what is fact and real.

I have been a little captivated the last several days by this concept because there is a person we know through family that just had her life expectancy dictated into weeks and or possibly months. I won’t get into the details, but I ask myself what I would do if the doctors told me I only had a short time to live. What you thought was so important, instantly changes. The reality crashes in on you as you somehow come to grips with planning the end of your life.  

All the noise (news, events, who said what etc.) mean nothing any longer and your world just became very very simple. This is selfish and self-centered, but I don’t care, my controlling thought over the past few days since hearing of this friend, has been the unconditional thankfulness for my healthy family. This Thanksgiving, they better get ready for an extra strong and long hug and kiss from me.

This Thanksgiving, take an inventory of your life and those closest to you because they are the real important parts of your life. Tell them so. Tell them you love them, Hug and kiss them even if they don’t want it. Some of the sweetest memories I have are of my mother hugging and kissing my cheek and telling me she loves me. Don’t miss the opportunity this Thanksgiving provides to do just that to those you love. KT