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Grief, gratitude and God: A holiday message for those carrying heavy hearts
By Alveda King
Published December 26, 2025
The holidays are often called "the most wonderful time of the year." Yet for many, they are also the hardest.
As families gather for dinners, services and celebrations, countless Americans will do so carrying the quiet ache of loss. Erika Kirk will face that reality this year, marking the season without her beloved Charlie. The lights, the laughter, the traditions, will all feel different.
She’s not alone. Across our nation, families will set one less place at the table, hang one less stocking or hear one less familiar voice. Some will grieve a recent loss; others will feel the echo of one that never fades. I understand that pain. My family has lived it.
When my uncle Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, our world was shaken. A few years later came more heartbreak: the murder of my grandmother, Mama King, and the untimely death of my father, A.D. King, whose passing was never fully investigated as it should have been.
Those losses left deep scars. Yet even in that sorrow, my grandfather, Rev. Martin Luther King Sr., whom we lovingly called "Daddy King," never lost his faith. I can still see him holding his Bible, tears in his eyes, saying the words that carried us through every storm: "Thank God for what we have left."
That simple sentence has echoed in my heart all my life. It was his message through heartbreak, injustice and grief, and it’s a message our world still needs today.
Even when life feels unfair, when grief clouds every memory and joy seems out of reach, God has not abandoned us. He is still Emmanuel, God with us. That truth doesn’t erase the pain, but it gives us a path through it.
Grief and gratitude can coexist. One doesn’t cancel the other. Real gratitude is often born out of sorrow when we learn to see the beauty in what remains.
For my family, that meant holding tighter to one another and to our faith. It meant remembering that even though hatred tried to silence love, the message of forgiveness and perseverance would live on.
For Erika, and for so many others walking through grief this holiday season, it will mean finding comfort in memories, strength in community and peace in the promise that this life is not the end.
As members of the one blood human race, as we pause to celebrate the season, from Thanksgiving’s reflection to Christmas’s joy to the hope of a new year, I’m reminded of Luke 2:14: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men."
That verse captures the spirit of the entire season. Even in a world filled with pain and division, God offers peace. Even when hope feels far away, His goodwill still shines through. The miracle of this time of year is that light can pierce even the darkest night.
The holidays are about the perfect love of God meeting us in an imperfect world. So how do we celebrate when our hearts are heavy?
We do it by remembering that the same God who gave us loved ones to cherish also gives us strength to endure when they’re gone. We do it by thanking Him for the people and the purpose that remain.
That’s what Daddy King meant when he said, "Thank God for what we have left." We thank Him for the memories, for the love that never dies, for the faith that sustains us and for the peace that passes understanding.
The holidays can stir up both tears and laughter, and that’s okay. Both are part of healing. But, as believers, we know grief doesn’t have the final word, grace does.
If you are walking through loss this season, know this: God sees you. He has not forgotten you. He knows your pain, and He promises to walk with you through it.
Let this be the year we reach out to those who are hurting, where we listen, comfort and pray for one another. That’s how peace and goodwill take root: not just in our hearts, but in our actions.
And as we look toward the year ahead, may we do so with renewed faith and hope. Let’s carry the light of Christ in defiance of despair. Let’s thank God for what remains. Let’s love fiercely, forgive quickly and keep faith alive in our homes, our communities and our nation.
We still have breath in our lungs. We still have people to love and serve. We still have a Savior who keeps His promises.
As Daddy King always said, and as my family still believes: "Thank God for what we have left."
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A new year is ahead, and it can be brighter. As we close out this year, let's receive the gift of Christ and extend the olive branch of love and unity; for all.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/grief-gratitude-god-holiday-message-those-carrying-heavy-hearts