Monday, November 24, 2008

Thankfulness

photo by mathewingram
 
It's Thanksgiving!   Well, almost.  In just three days, it'll be Thanksgiving.  Close enough, right?  We are traveling, just like everyone else in the country, so this will probably be my last post for the week.  First one, too, apparently.
 
I wanted to encourage you, in this time of pushing Christmas shopping, to stop and remember that this week is Thanksgiving.  A time to give thanks.  We get so wrapped up in Christmas, Christmas, Christmas that Thanksgiving often gets missed (unless you count the Day-After-Thanksgiving attention).  Sunday, our pastors reminded us that we should stop and be thankful.  Thankful for many big and little things, especially in this time of economic troubles.  Do you have your health?  Be thankful.  Do you have your family?  Be thankful.  Do you have food and clothes?  Be thankful.  
 
I'm thankful for so many things.  I'm making a list (and checking it twice, gonna find out ... wait - wrong season!) and I encourage you to do the same.
 
I'm thankful for my family.  My husband who is my best friend.  My children who amaze me every day.  I'm thankful that my children still have all of their grandparents and nanny.  I'm thankful I still have all my aunts, uncles, cousins, sister-in-law and beautiful nieces.
 
I'm thankful for my friends.  'Nuf said.
 
I'm thankful for my health - such as it is.  Sure, I could be healthier, but I'm good.
 
I'm thankful for the house we have (even though I have a love/hate relationship with it).  
 
I'm thankful for the grocery game because we're able to eat well and still stay under budget.
 
I'm thankful for Dave Ramsey (even though I hate having to stick to a budget) and for not having car payments.
 
I'm thankful it didn't rain on me this morning while I was bagging leaves in the yard.  (The rain came later and stayed all day long.  In case you were wondering).
 
I'm thankful that my husband has a good job and I don't have to work, even though I do, part time.
 
I'm thankful for so many other things like sunrises and sunsets, rain, a good book, brownies, my children's teachers and schools, my church and my pets.  
 
What are you thankful for?
 

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Amen to that!
It's so important to stop and take stock of what we have and how great our lives really are.
It's really easy to forget.

Scott C said...

Wow. I am sooo excited about the upcoming holidays. None more so than Thanksgiving. I am thankful I now have a life, a direction and a constant contact with God. I am thankful that I'm a recovering alcoholic, otherwise I wouldn't be who I am today. I am thankful for family and friends (old and new ;) ) I am thankful for that breath I just took and those words that I just typed. Basically, this year, I feel I have so much to be thankful for that it's a bit overwhelming.
I thank you for asking.
Be careful on your trip. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

Thanksgiving really is my favorite holiday and it is a shame that it has to live in the shadow between Halloween and Christmas. But at my house, there are no Christmas decorations yet and we will spend the next couple of days really paying attention to what we are thankful for. I am thankful for my family (even my brother in law who makes me so mad); I am thankful for my beautiful daughter and for the fact that she got really sick the weekend before the holiday instead of during the holiday; I am thankful that even though my mom is no longer with us I have some of the best memories and was lucky enough to have her in my corner for 36 years.

Thanks for posting this as a reminder that Thanksgiving shouldn't be just another excuse to eat - it has a purpose.

Safe travels.