Remembering From Ashore: A Sacred Thanksgiving for My Family

Today, my family gathers to give thanks—to honour tradition, life, memory, and the beautiful tapestry of generations that tie us together. Across oceans and circumstances, across time and space, they come together around a ritual that has lived within us for years. A Thanksgiving Friday held in my mother’s presence—a deeply spiritual and cultural act of unity and remembrance.

Though I am not there in person, my spirit walks beside them.
And from ashore, I honour them all.

This afternoon, I stepped into a sacred silence of my own. I visited the church, lit candles, and whispered prayers for each soul that shaped my story:

• For my father, Joseph Blessing, whose strength and lessons guide my every step

• For my brother, James Tinashe, whose spirit lives on in laughter, memory, and love

• For my mother, whose enduring grace continues to anchor the family

• And for Pope Francis, a global shepherd whose humility touched even the quietest corners of the world

I wrote my name into the Book of Condolences for Pope Francis—not because I am someone of great power, but because I am someone of deep love. I prayed not just for my family, but for the world—for the tired, the grieving, the displaced, and those who remember through pain.

Then I walked to the river.

There, beside the flowing water, I offered my own thanksgiving: Not with music or meals,
but with stillness.
With every step, I prayed.
With every breath, I remembered.
And in that moment, I knew:

Remembrance doesn’t require presence.
Love doesn’t need proximity.
And family can be honoured even when your feet aren’t at the table.

To my family:
Though I am not with you today, I send my heart across the sea.
May you feel my love in the silence between laughter.
May my prayers wrap around you like soft winds.
And may the legacy of our ancestors continue to unite us—
even when we walk different paths.

To everyone who is grieving, remembering, or honoring from afar—
You are not alone.
There is no “right way” to show up in love.
Only the honest way.
And that is enough.

🕊️ Written with love by Samantha Avril-Andreassen
In memory of Joseph Blessing & James Tinashe
In gratitude for those who gather, and those who remember from ashore