Being Thankful

Being thankful … it’s harder than we think.  Oh, it’s pretty easy to list the big things – family, health, job, friends – but it takes a bit more thought to really look at your life and see the specialness of it – the things that God has provided for you … things that He knows you need even if you don’t know it. 

I don’t like upheaval in my life … had plenty of that in the past; but God knows it’s good to shake me up a bit from time to time so I don’t get too set in my ways and become accustomed to the ease of life as it is from day to day.  A few bumps in the road keep me closer to Him, the source of my strength and peace.

When I look around me and see so many friends whose families are struggling with life-threatening illnesses I give thanks that my family is doing well at this moment.  We’ve had our major health issues and we will probably have more in the future, but right now we’re all doing okay and I am grateful for this time. 

I see families who are facing the stresses of unemployment and know how mind boggling it can be.  In 21 years of marriage my husband has been unemployed seven years.  We’ve gotten down to our last thousand dollars with no prospects of work and then a blessing comes and we’re working to get back on our feet again.  Now during this very difficult economic time he is working and we’re putting aside all we can to prepare for whatever may come in the future.  We are thankful for the blessing of work.

I am distressed by the condition that our Country is in at this time and the path that we seem to be destined to follow and I pray that we will turn back before we lose all that the Founding Fathers desired for us when this republic was born.  But I am still thankful to live in this beautiful land with all the freedoms I still have – freedoms and opportunities that so many others will never have in their lifetimes – and I know that I am blessed.

I am grateful for eyes to see the wonders of creation around me every day … the early morning sun coming up over the mountain, the green of tree leaves blowing in the wind, words on the printed page that give me wisdom or take me away from my everyday life.  I am grateful ears to hear the singing birds and the voices of my loved ones … grateful for arms and legs that allow me to move about and work or play … for a body that basically functions as it should with only a few glitches from the stresses of life. 

And as Thanksgiving approaches and the kitchen is filled with the aroma of apple pie and other goodies, I give thanks for the food provided for us every day of the year.  And for the sense of smell to enjoy all the fragrances of the foods I love.  I read somewhere that without a sense of smell our sense of taste is compromised as well … they go hand in hand.  We are wonderfully made! 

May your Thanksgiving Feast be bountiful both physically and spiritually and may the coming year bring you many more blessings …