Being Thankful

This month has been horrible for blogging. Between being busy with all the normal end of year issues, I was laid up for a huuuge portion of the month all sick. I barely did anything other than sleep and lay around so writing and taking pictures and having fun adventures to blog about was right out.

Thankfully, I’m on the mend and just in time for Thanksgiving. I really like this holiday, but not because it’s got turkey or parades or those flaky rolls that they only seem to sell in November. I don’t even love it because the family all gets together, although I do enjoy that part a lot. No, the reason I enjoy this holiday is because people’s hearts are focused on being thankful. At Christmas we get bogged down with gifts and Easter is a good time to be grateful for Jesus…but here at Thanksgiving, the very name of the holiday reminds us of what to do. It reminds us as we sit at our tables of plenty (or not-so-plenty) that this is a time to be thankful. Thankful for those who surround us, be they family or friends. Thankful for the safety and warmth of the place where you sit, the provision of the food at the table and even the country where we live. It’s a holiday that moves our focus to what we’ve blessed with and that is a holiday that I look forward to experiencing.

This year I’m grateful for my aunts, who all seem to be having a hard year. I know that they could have let these struggles break them, but instead I’ve been blessed to see them continue to be the strong, loving and joyful women that have always been role models to me. I’m so thankful that God has given me such amazing inspirations.

I’m thankful for a sister and mother who stepped up when I needed them and helped me get better. I’m so grateful for my helpful ‘nurses’. I’m thankful for my friends and their basement and all the time I’ve spent with them sitting around and talking and watching movies and youtube videos. God has been just ridiculous with the friendships He’s given me. I’m thankful for playing darts with my brothers, talking politics with my stepdad and talking religion and relationships with Dr. Al. I’m thankful for trips to Kansas and Kentucky and Arkansas. I’m thankful for getting to spend time with family and the chance to help so many of them move! I’m thankful for the church I visited last week and the people I met there and the opportunity to worship. I’m thankful for the country I live in and the rights I have as a citizen.

I love this holiday because it creates an attitude of gratefulness across the country and I love being a part of that. I love seeing people out during this week and seeing them happy. I love hearing the stories of good Samaritans and generosity that fill the news on Thanksgiving. I love the change it brings in me, giving me the chance to look beyond what I don’t have and be grateful for all that I do. It’s all too easy for me to get bogged down in self-pity and focused on unmet wants and sometimes it takes a national holiday for me to finally start being thankful.