Truth be told, I am not feeling Thanksgiving this year.  On that excruciatingly painful day last week on which I had to hand my daughter back to her foster family for who-knows-how-long, I tearfully informed Matt that there was no way in heck that I could celebrate Thanksgiving this week.  It just seemed like more than my heart could handle.  But today, I’m trying to rally for the kids.  For the family.  But it’s still hard.

It doesn’t seem right to celebrate with family while one of our children spends the day without us across the globe.  There’s a gaping hole without that broken little girl who was told just last week to call us “mama” and “papa”… and then was taken from us.

It doesn’t seem right to feast until our bellies are full while our Elizabeth waits for us, malnourished and underdeveloped.

It doesn’t seem right to study black Friday ads while thousands in eastern Congo leave behind the little they have to flee rebel armies.

It just doesn’t seem right

I’m not trying to be a complete downer today.  Because, in the midst of all of this mess and mire, I am thankful for the hope I can still cling to in the goodness of my God.

Ann Voskamp said it beautifully here…

“We won’t stop confessing He is good and we won’t stop thanking Him for grace and we won’t stop holding out our hands — and taking His hand. We won’t stop believing that ‘God is good’ is not some trite quip for the good days but a radical defiant cry for the terrible days.  That ‘God is good’ is not a stale one-liner when all’s  happy but a saving lifeline when all’s hard.”

Life can be hard.  God is still good.  And I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving.