FOSTER CARE 66 NOVEMBER 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition The holiday season brings with it a wave of anticipation, families reuniting, tables being set, laughter and traditions filling the room. But for many, it also brings something else: an ache, an empty seat, a missing voice, and a memory that feels both near and far. Around the table, joy and grief often sit side by side In my own family, we feel this tension. We carry the deep absence of my younger brother, Christopher — not just in memory, but in the real, tangible way that his seat at the table remains unfilled. And yet, we speak of him often. We remember, because remembering is a form of honoring. That seat is still his and always will be. For those of you walking through the holidays with someone missing from your table, I want to say this clearly: your grief is real, and it matters. But I also want to offer a gentle invitation: what if the ache of that empty seat could become something more? Grief that grows into grace Our longing for those we’ve lost doesn’t need to be ignored or pushed aside. In fact, it may be pointing us toward something sacred. I believe grief can be more than a weight; it can be a resource, a catalyst and a prompt from the Spirit that moves us to open our hearts and homes in new ways. Because while we may never stop longing for the people we’ve lost, we are not without purpose in our pain. Beauty can rise from the ashes of brokenness. The table may feel emptier this year, but it may also be the very place where new healing, new connection and new hope begin. A 4KIDS table expanded At 4KIDS, we see this every day. Families who once knew the ache of absence are now making room at their tables, not to replace what was lost, but to reflect the love they’ve known. Parents welcoming children into their homes, some for a night, others forever, offering stability, warmth and belonging. And often, that invitation doesn’t stop with the child. Many of our families extend hospitality to biological parents too, inviting them to the table in moments of shared milestones, birthdays and reunifications. It’s not always easy, but it is beautiful. We’ve seen tables where forgiveness is served alongside dessert. Where grief is not erased but transformed. Where the pain of what’s missing becomes fuel for radical love. The truth is someone is always missing from someone’s table. But when we live with open hands and open hearts, we get to be part of filling those gaps, not by fixing everything, but by showing up with presence and grace. An invitation to act So here’s the question I’d like us all to sit with this season: Is someone missing from your table? And more than that — what might God be inviting you to do about it? Is there someone you’ve lost that you want to honor by extending love to someone who needs it? Is there a neighbor, a single parent, a foster teen or a relative you haven’t seen in a while who might need a seat? Is there a child who needs a place not just to eat, but to belong? This is not about guilt; it’s about invitation. Because the table is where we are reminded that we were all once outsiders, and yet Jesus pulled up a chair for us. His hospitality is our model. His table always has room. Gratitude makes room As we enter Thanksgiving, it’s easy to focus on the celebration: the meal prep, the travel, the gathering. But let’s not forget what makes it holy. The word “holiday” comes from “holy day.” And what makes a day holy is not its busyness; it’s its sacredness. The table becomes sacred when it’s marked by gratitude. When we choose to give thanks, even in the midst of longing. When we choose to see loss as a reason to love more deeply. When we serve others, not out of obligation, but out of joy. Colossians 3:17 reminds us, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Whatever you do this season, however you gather, however you grieve, however you extend your table, do it with gratitude. Do it knowing that in the giving, in the receiving, in the remembering and in the inviting, God is near. Because when we respond to the ache of absence with love, the table becomes more than a place to eat. It becomes a place to heal. Since September 2024, Andrew Holmes has been serving as the President of 4KIDS--a ministry that provides Hope, Homes, and Healing to kids and families in crisis. Learn more and catch the vision of a home for every child at 4KIDS.us. Missing - Andrew Holmes - 4KIDS President
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjE2MjU=