By Katherine Skillestad Winans, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist
Neighbors of Fairwood Article No. 14, November Issue 2020. Published with permission.
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). She 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 most profound need to overcome, survive, and thrive. Nellie Jackman’s prayer reminds us of all our blessings and hope for a better time.
My love and gratitude to all and Happy Thanksgiving! Mental health matters to you and me!
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. Katherine 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. 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 or Northwest University.