The Washington herald., 1911-11-29
By JULIA CHANDLER MANI
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving"

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving"
TlS sentence was part assertion, part
exclamation, but most Of all memory, as
1t fell from the lips of the Lonely Wom1-
an, who stood at the window watching
the last leaves filter away to their long
winter rest.
The great American feast that CEN
ters SO closely around the home" 1 add
ed.
She turned to look at me, and from me
to the head of the big family table in
the room beyond; the family board at
which there will be one vacant chair to-
morrow, the big one at the head of the
table.
1T was so beautiful last year." she whis-
pered, with a sobbing catch in her voice.
John and Mary were home from school,
and the smaller children were so merry
and he was so proud of them all. He
was so big and strong and splendid as
he sat there at the head of the table.
Oh, it is impossible to go through with
it this year without him.
John and Mary will be home from
college again tonight" 1 reminded her.
Then" 1 added, there are Florence
and George and little Billy. The day
must be kept for them. The dinner must
be as perfect as it was last year. The
festival must be glad for them even
though your heart is breaking because
The Lonely Woman looked at me won
deringly.
YES said, you must, and it is be-
cause you must that you should be thank
full to God tomorrow, when all the coun-
try will be praising Him for His mani
festations of love.
SsThe bravest thing that any woman
can do is to pick up the thread of life
when sorrow makes II seem impossible
NIL
.-he finest thing that you can do to-
morrow is to keep the shadow of death
from your Thanksgiving board"
Just then there was the sound of
hurrying feet on the stair.
They have their own lives to live. See
to it that they remain unclouded as
long and as far as you can keep them
So They will grow up fast enough and
know pain and sorrow all too soon," I
had time to say before the younger chill
dren Of the bereaved family scampered
into the room.
And when they were gone, the Lonely
Woman told me that she had just about
made up her mind that she could not
bear to come down to the table for
Thanksgiving dinner and face the empty
chair at its head.
For them you can bear" I said, nod
ding toward the retreating figures of the
merry little trio, and Sfor Mary and
John you can bear"
81 shall make it a dear, thankful day
for them ALL" she promised coura-
geously.''
tell you Of this because of the black
bordered notes that have come to my
desk this week, each one bringing to me
the grief of a forlorn heart, dreading the
festival day which We all celebrate to-
morrow.
I know it takes more bravery to go
through some special holiday that brings
up a million dear associations than to
live all the rest of the days in the year.
This is particularly true of Thanksgiving,
because ii is the one day in all the year
for intimate family gatherings.
The sorrowing woman has special rea-
son to be thankful that life is present
all around her, forcing her to turn her
thoughts to those whose skies are un-
Clouded and who look TO her for their
Thanksgiving gladness.
That We cannot live by ourselves, and
for ourselves, seems to me the greatest
of little children for their happiness upon
their mothers good cheer will spur many
a sad woman tomorrow to turn her
thoughts from her own sorrow TO the
gladness of Others and in this turning
the keen edge of grief will be taken
away, and in the knowledge that she has
not overshadowed other lives with her
OWN depression on this glad day of thank
offerings she will find infinite comfort.
For we can never find gIadness for
ourselves by making other hearts sad.
This is not one of Gods laws for the
human race
Why, the Lonely Woman had no sooner
promised herself that she would make