We gather at Thanksgiving with family and friends each year to celebrate our good fortunes, time together, and great food – and for some, time for shopping on Black Friday. But what do you do when you have lost someone close to you because of death this past year? While they are absent from us in the flesh, they only become absent from our hearts if we choose not to include them in our memories.
From all of us here at Killingsworth Spencer CPAs, we mourn the loss of our founder, Janet K. Killingsworth, CPA, to Breast Cancer earlier this year. This time last Fall, her health began to decline, although she remained strong and in good spirits until the last few weeks or so of her life. For those of you reading this who have lost a friend or a family member to death in the past year, the next several weeks may be difficult.
An approach to dealing with the loss of a loved one during Thanksgiving is to celebrate their life and look back on how they made you a better person and how you made a contribution to their life. Are you not a better person for having known someone you held close to your heart?
Several years ago, Janet shared with us some great advice one of her older clients gave to her as a young CPA when she moved to Atlanta in 1985. “You are going to meet some good people and some who may not remain worthy of your time throughout your life. You can learn something valuable from everyone. Focus your energy to become a shining beacon of light for others. This will be your best way to be remembered, and why people who know you will give thanks for you being a part of their life.”
Happy Thanksgiving