The Empty Chair For those grieving the loss of a loved one, Thanksgiving and “the holidays” can be a particularly difficult time. Anticipation of these special days begins early and so I’m posting this prayer today… A Prayer at an Empty Chair This Thanksgiving, Lord, there’ll be an empty chair at our table, an ache in our hearts and tears on our cheeks… We might shield others from our grief but we can’t hide it from you… We pray for (name your loved ones) whose loving presence we’ll miss at this homecoming time… Help us remember and tell again the stories that knit us as one with the ones we miss so much… Open our hearts to joyful memories of the love we shared with those who’ve gone before us… Let the bonds you forged so deep in our hearts grow stronger yet in remembering those who’ve left our side… Help us pray and trust that those we miss have a home in your heart and a place at your table forever and that one day we’ll be one with them once again… Teach us to lean on you and on one another for the strength we need to walk through these difficult days… Open our eyes and our hearts to the healing, the warmth and the peace of your presence… Give us quiet moments with you in prayer, with our memories and loss, with our thoughts and tears… Be with us to console us and hold us in your arms as you hold the ones we miss… Even in our grief, Lord, this is the day that you have made: help us be glad in the peace you’ve promised, the peace we pray you share with those who’ve gone before us… For ourselves, Lord, and for all who find the holidays to be a difficult time, we make this prayer… Amen.