Is this the cliché blog-thing to do on Thanksgiving? Yes.
Am I going to do it anyways? Yep.
Around election time, one may often hear the phrase “Vote; it doesn’t matter who you vote for — just vote!” I think it’s just as important, if not more so, that we echo that same sentiment about being thankful. You may feel like you don’t have much or perhaps things haven’t been going very well in life, and I understand that life comes with its valleys — several of my own friends are going through some rough things at the moment, and there are a lot of hurting folks out there in the world. A while ago I began opening my morning prayers by being thankful, and I have consistently found that such activity snowballs into increasing thankfulness. The more I focused on what I had to be thankful for, the more other things came to mind.
So, here’s a quick little Thanksgiving day list about some of the things I am thankful for… and I encourage y’all to play along at home. Every day 🙂
- God’s forgiveness. I am far from perfect, and that God can look at me as I fall so short of what I was designed to be and still offer me grace by the sacrifice of Jesus on a cross… well, that’s plum brilliant and humbles me any time I really think about it.
- That
terrifyingbeautiful turkey with me in the image above. Knowing Sydney has not only allowed God to teach me so much about love and patience (and etc.) through her, but I have also just enjoyed the ever-living heck out being with her. Really looking forward to getting hitched to her next fall, and I’m thankful she said yes 🙂 - Bears. Ya know, I really love how cute bears are, with their big, huggable bumbling bodies. I don’t claim to fully understand what the after-life will be like, but my Earthly self really hopes that bears will be there and I can hug one.
- Movies. I am chomping at the bit to see what happens in the next Avengers movie (and Captain Marvel before it), can watch the trailer for the new Godzilla movie and get teary because I’m so giddy about it, and am just so darn thankful that I have all my senses to fully enjoy how wonderful movies are… and that I live in this time when cinematic wonder is at such a visual peak.
And speaking of that trailer…
- Isn’t music wonderful? The majesty and beauty of that trailer’s version of Clair de Lune is such a joy, but then just the other day I was driving to church belting out Audioslave’s Like a Stone, and it’s such a pleasure to be able to feel both the emotional weight and the musical power of that song.
- I have the opportunity in my new-ish job to be a part of something big and interesting, and yet I am also afforded the chance to work from home which has been such a blessing in many ways.
- My church’s youth group. I have told them several times already, but these kids really are such a tremendous group of young people… I am very thankful that I get to spend time with them each week. Even though they’re a little insane.
- The color blue. I’m looking at my loveseat, and it’s just such a lovely tone and hue, and how fortunate I am that I get to enjoy looking at it!
- I ate great food today, but I also have so much access to great, safe food every day.
- God has blessed me with a healthy dose of patience, and that has allowed me the wonderful opportunity of being an open ear and encouraging voice for many a friend over the years — something I wouldn’t be able to do on my own strength, for sure.
- Today I was stuck in holiday traffic, but in that time I was able to see the sunlight glistening off the crests of waves in the Pacific ocean, I hung out with a German Shepherd for a while as it rode passenger in the car next to me, and I watched some birds do some pretty cool flying about above us as we all slogged along in our cars.
- Man, have you seen birds? They just flap their wings and they zoom right up into the air at will. We make sci-fi movies about superheros with those abilities, and here are these little buggers flying around us every day.
- Etc., etc., etc.
Feel free to give us your own list of things you’re thankful for in the comments… it doesn’t necessarily matter what you’re thankful for, just be thankful 🙂