November 23, 2016 • Volume 9, Issue 52 • Subscribe to Hope & Harmony Headlines
Hope for the Holidays
It’s Thanksgiving, and bp Magazine and esperanza would like to express our gratitude to all of our readers who have made us a part of their lives.
On this Thanksgiving, we wish our readers and their loved ones the happiness and serenity that comes from recognizing our blessings. And we pledge to continue our mission to provide comfort and guidance to our vital and growing community.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Families, the Holidays & Mental Illness: A Place at the Table for Everyone
Holiday meals with my family usually include an empty setting at the table. That place is not there to honor someone who has passed away or a member of the military who is stationed overseas and couldn’t make it home for the holidays. It is reserved for a family member, my brother, who comes to all our family celebrations, usually bearing gifts he made himself. He actively participates in most of the festivities and is full of spirit for whatever occasion we happen to be celebrating. But he never sits down to eat with us.
My brother has a thought disorder which makes it hard for him to express himself clearly. For years we encouraged him to join us at the table, but he always declines, sitting out the meal in an adjoining room. Sometimes we are tempted to skip the family tradition of the empty place setting. The table can get crowded, and chairs are at a premium. But my mother insists on setting the place, and rightly so.
I tell her: “Leave him alone. He doesn’t want to eat with us.” But she keeps insisting, holding to the hope that he will sit with us. … Read more >>
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