Spring as sprung into a distance memory, Summer has wilted out, the season of hoodies, jogging pants, the hues of orange, red, yellow and purple appears everywhere so effortlessly, the smell of burnt wood and pumpkin spice everything. The crispness of the air sends cold chills down your spine while sipping on hot cider warms your soul. Weekend bon fires light up the country night skies, the smell of toasted marshmallows and graham crackers leads you down memory lane as a child. Ladies scouting YouTube for the latest “Fall Makeup Tutorials” while the fellas gather around the flat screen TV rooting for their favorite NFL team. Fall has definitely made its appearance and it’s the countdown to Thanksgiving and Christmas.
To me, it’s a time of family gatherings and feasting on some of the tastiest seasonal foods that you can think of. For instance, our family comes together, primarily at one location which is our grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving and everyone brings a side item to go along with the main meat dish, typically for turkey and ham. My brother, Davon makes a fire glazed ham and I’m known for my killer Creamy Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes. Our grandmother makes her crowd pleaser Oven-Baked Macaroni and Cheese, while our Aunt Lisa makes a mean Seven Layer Salad and Slowed Cook Crock Pot Green Beans with Bacon and Onions. Is your mouth watering yet?
As fun and exciting are the upcoming holiday seasons are for many, others may not see it in the same light. Studies show that the depression rates and social isolation during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season increase dramatically every year. The word autumn, especially in poetry, has often been associated with melancholia. The possibilities and opportunities of summer are gone, and the chill of winter is on the horizon. Skies turn grey, the amount of usable daylight drops rapidly, and many people turn inward, both physically and mentally. It has been referred to as an unhealthy season.
For some, the upcoming holidays are a constant reminder of failure, a missed loved one, the dissolution of a marriage, a deployed service men, a recent unemployment; the list can go on and on. As we’re approaching this time of year, I encourage you to not cast away your hope. Surround yourself with family, people of growth and encouragement who will help in healing of past hurts if you or someone that you know is dealing depression or emotional isolation during this season. This topic renders true for me as it goes back to December 2014, a week before Christmas, my husband at the time decided to leave me with a newborn and a 4 year old. I can’t begin to describe the level of hurt and devastation it caused me and my family. I felt like all hope was lost, I could not function without crying, on the verge of major depression and fearful of not knowing how I was going to make it as single mother of two young children. And to up the level of intensity, my son was born prematurely, the month before and was scheduled for his first round of many surgeries the day after Christmas. I’ve never been faced with anything more challenging in my life and anything that went wrong during that season of my life did!
I thank God for blessing me with a supportive family and for belonging to a church that taught me that I can rise up from adversary.
I’m in no way trying to glamorize sufferings in any form but it took time to heal emotionally, mentally and spiritually but yet I found encouragement through the bible, specifically in the reading of Psalm 126:1-6 in the Passion -Translation. It referenced the dealing of difficulties in life but yet having an expectancy that God will restore you at the same time. For what I believe was true, I begin to see God restore our peace, strength, heart, finances and more. I want to encourage you to allow hope be your anchor that will renewed your faith again. Faith to love, faith to heal; faith to do what you thought was impossible, faith to leave the past behind you and faith to live for your future just as I did. Remember, what is coming is far greater than what has left so make it your mission this holiday season to have your hope renewed!
The greatest quality about hope is that it can be rebuilt!
-Connisha R. Jarrett
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