My most vivid Thanksgiving memory is waking up hungry in a four room house with a fireplace as the central heating, no indoor plumbing and no insulation. As I quickly raced to the warmth of the kitchen coal stove I looked forward to a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs and French toast with warm syrup. But there was none. I complained with great disappointment.
As my mother placed half a cold grapefruit on the table in front of me, she quickly reminded me to be thankful for what I had. She assured me that my grapefruit was more than some children would enjoy on any given day. After all, dinner at Grandma Wynn’s would be filled with
But daily gratitude can be a real challenge for most of us especially if we’ve never been without before. I had never had a garage before this house and I had no idea the many benefits of having one. Having suffered the pain of muscles spasms and herniated discs I am especially thankful for a massaging hot shower to relax muscles. With the divorce rate so high, I’m grateful that my Mom and Dad made it through the rough terrain of marriage. I could keep going on and on but I’d love to hear what you are grateful for on a regular basis.
I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” Thanks in all circumstances can be a real challenge, I know. It puts a whole different spin on our circumstances. So, when I was cold and hungry that Thanksgiving day long ago I was to give thanks to God anyway. Thanks that I was alive – could see, smell, hear and feel. Thanks for family and a home. Thanks for another day to live and breathe. Thankful.
3 comments:
I am thankful for God's word,for His son and his atoning work, for my saviour and friend, that I am chosen and accepted in the beloved and being conformed into the image of God's son. That I am a daughter of God and he is showing my true identity in Christ. The best gifts are the eternal ones- help me take my eyes off of my circumstances.
I am thankful for a note my mother wrote to me before her Alzheimer's took her to a another place. I am grateful that God still sends pieces of who she once was in the midst of her fragmented, random condition.
Alzheimer's is an awful disease. That is one thing that I've always feared for my mother -- the loss of her memory or Alzheimer's. She's 81 and her short term memory is challenged but she is still with us and I'm so grateful there is no Alzheimers. I pray that you will see more and more glimpse's of the Mom you know and love. Merry Christmas!
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