A large sign was posted in the therapist’s office which read, “Happy Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for?” Obeying my instinct to be truthful after reading the sign aloud, I told the therapist that I was thankful for being an abused child because it made me what I am today.
Well, I’m sure that is not the response she expected so I asked her if she knew anything about abuse. She admitted that she knew little or nothing and seemed a little uneasy about the subject, so I told her most people were unaware of abuse effects unless they had been a victim or become close to one. Then I changed the subject.
Mentioning the words child abuse is as thought provoking as saying cancer. I know because I am on the road to being a cancer survivor. These words conjure up depressing thoughts to people for various reasons but truthfully, both types of victims must travel a circuitous road to recovery. It is an uphill, downhill, round the corner road where we take one step backward and two forward. This road becomes a smoother journey when it is traveled with blessings from God and the help of family and friends.
Now, like most people, you are wondering why I should be thankful for my abusive childhood. Yes, it made me what I am today but more importantly, determination to overcome its effects enabled me to keep walking through the hard times. Eventually that road name changed from Victim Road to Survivor Lane. That is cause for celebration.
Because Thanksgiving is only days away and most people are planning their holiday festivities, we tend to think in terms of dinner and family, seating arrangements, and how to finalize everything on the menu at the same time.
All these thoughts are normal. All these thoughts are human reaction to a holiday which reminds us of pleasant past times. This is as it should be. It is also a time which reminds us to be thankful for all our blessings.
I am thankful for the cancer team who worked with such passion to accomplish what seems like a modern miracle. They gave me the time to work on a book which I have been planning for a long time, perhaps most of my life. It is about the effects of child abuse.
I am thankful for the computer which my daughter and son-in-law gave me which provides me with the tools to write and visit with my small grandchildren who are thousands of miles away.
When I enter a store and see a happy family with small children, I am especially thankful because it is an opportunity to watch a child laugh or interact with me for a minute. That is a blessing, too!
This year when I sit down to Thanksgiving dinner and say a blessing, I will remember to include all those who are still on the road to recovery from whatever grief they have encountered. That is what I am thankful for, not only at Thanksgiving or other holidays, but every minute of every day of every year.
