Holidays and Missing Loved Ones

Every day it gets closer and closer to the major holidays of the year.  As it comes it makes me remember that I have lost a lot of family members this year and I wonder just how my family is going to make it through without seeing their smiling faces. 

As Thanksgiving rounds the corner, I remember how my grandmother loved the smell of pumpkin and sweet potatoe pies baking in the oven.  I'll no longer have that smell to relate to Thanksgiving because she passed away this year in April.  This will also be our first really big holiday without her and it makes me sad.  Without her here I know my family is going to start falling apart and we'll never have get together like we did while she was here.  Therefore, all of our promising that we'll always stick together has gone out the window with her death.  Isn't it strange how they always know, no matter what, that they have to get you to promise that the remaining family will always stick together when they are gone?  You make this promise hoping that you'll have the strength and energy to keep it, but some how it always slips through your fingers in the end. 

You can't keep the family glued together because you are just one person, but this makes me wonder what she is thinking while looking down on us from Heaven.  Is she upset and sad that we aren't able to keep this one small promise that we'll keep in touch with each other or if she is just totally disappointed in us because we aren't trying hard enough to stay together after she is gone.  I loved my grandmother but I have to wonder about the rest of my family.  Are we giving up on each other too soon and just sliding from each other's finger tips, or is it that we never cared and now have no reason to try?

With Thanksgiving gone, next comes Christmas.  A time for family to get together and enjoy each other's company.  But you see, I see face the same dilemma with Christmas that I did with Thanksgiving.  Will we be able to keep the promise to stay together or will we just let go of that promise and live alone with only our close, imitate family with us?  If we continue like we are, we will never know each other and become complete strangers.  Then what would become of us?

How many of you out there have had to question yourselves about this situation?  How do you get over the distance that some have put up between you and themselves?  Or do you?  Will next year be easier because you lived through this first year, or does it get harder as time goes by?  Is there any advice from you on how to over come this situation?  I would really appreciate it if you could offer some.  Thanks!