Mental Health Matters: My Thanksgiving Gift

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Two thousand and twenty has been quite a year! No one predicted the challenges we have faced. Through it all, we have come together and found ways to remain safe and carry on. Many people have grown closer to their families by discovering new ways of connecting. Worldwide, people find the power of prayer and their spiritual life a great source of strength and comfort. Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the harvest and the year’s blessings. My Thanksgiving gift to you is a prayer written by my great-grandmother, Nellie Francis Martin Jackman (1878-1953) who lived in Emmetsburg, Iowa on a farm with her husband William Edward Jackman (1874-1930) and their 12 children. Her life was hard, but her faith was strong. I believe we are connected with others that have gone before us and their love fuels our deepest need to overcome, survive, and thrive. Nellie Jackman’s prayer reminds us of all our blessings and hope for a better time. With love and gratitude, I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

I enter softly the

hallowed place

and kneel for a moment

before His face.

                                               

I know though my eyes

are too dim to see

With pitying love

He is looking at me.

 

I lay my burdens at His feet,

My sins, my woes,

with a feeling sweet.

Of peace creeps over my

troubled heart,

For I know I have chosen

The better part.

 

I tell Him my troubles

One by one

I speak of the good

I have left undone.

 

Of hopes and fears,

Of each anxious care.

For I know

He is waiting

And listening here.

 

Dr. Skillestad Winans retired from the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons after 24 years of service where she served as the Chief of Psychology Services. She is currently an Associate Professor at Northwest University and a Clinical Supervisor at the University of Washington, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. The information in this article does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship, assumes no professional or legal liability, and does not represent the views of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Northwest University, or the University of Washington.