Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving Day.

And I am thankful.

I am thankful that I am alive, that I am in good health, that I am in my right mind.

I am thankful that my four children are all serving Jesus...and still love me.

I am thankful that we have been blessed with a beautiful home and reliable vehicles.

I am thankful that we never go hungry or without adequate clothing.

I am thankful that so many have been willing to help us these past few years.

I am thankful that some very loyal, patient, kind, dear, and understanding friends still love me.

I am thankful that supportive and loving family members live close by.

I am blessed.

I am thankful that three years ago today I was able to spend a few precious hours with my suffering husband as a sort of last date, even though we didn’t quite know it at the time.

I am thankful he felt well enough that we could get out of the house for a time even though that time was short.

I am thankful for the memories of the talks we had in those last months…deep…rich…focused…intense… sometimes painful…often precious…

I am thankful for the love we shared those last few months…deep…rich…focused…all things unimportant had been stripped away…hearts were laid bare…the two hearts beat almost as one in a way we’d never yet experienced with the stuff of life in control.

I am thankful for the lessons he taught me – preparing me for the day I’d need to handle things alone…yet, not alone. For he taught me about recognizing God’s presence in the everyday…

I am thankful my children have memories of him.

I am thankful for the investment he made in those precious souls.

I am thankful he earned their respect and kept it.

I am thankful I can see aspects of his character and personality in each of them…he lives on in them.

I am blessed.

I am also thankful for the challenges for they have enabled me to learn more about myself.

I am thankful for difficult decisions for they have forced me to trust even more in my capable and all-wise God.

I am thankful for pain-filled nights for they have allowed me to reach in with true empathy and speak comfort to other precious hearts who are facing that same pain.

I am thankful for loneliness for it has opened my eyes to see others in need of a friend; those who sit alone at the side of a crowded room…

I am thankful that the intensity of my pain has lessened somewhat allowing me to turn more energy toward my children and ministry once again…and that the good days outnumber the bad 6:1.

I am thankful for the many opportunities God brings my way to share what I’ve learned on my journey…and that there are those who actually want to listen.

I am thankful for those who believe in me and who help me continue growing in Christ…for that is my deepest desire.

I am deeply grateful for a patient, trustworthy, loving, faithful Heavenly Father for He, beyond all others, is responsible for my well-being.

I would be nothing without Him.

I am

of all people

most incredibly

blessed.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Psalm 107:1

I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart;

I will tell of all Your wonders.

I will be glad and exult in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2

Finding blessings from God literally everywhere,