Thankful is an Understatement
Happy Thanksgiving! I am so grateful for YOU, my beloved family and friends who are ever-afters. What are “ever-afters”? Those are the ones who aren’t with us for just a day, just a reason, or just a season. Ever-afters are those who we grab their hand and shoulder-to-shoulder, heart to heart live our lives with gratitude and thanks-living right on through to heaven.
I am grateful that America continues to set apart a day each year for giving thanks. Whew! That’s a close one! Aren’t we so grateful that the “radicals” that keep trying to remove the values that our country was founded upon — prayer, Christmas, “In God We Trust” and “The 10 Commandments” and other matters that exclude our Sovereign God, haven’t been successful with removing Thanksgiving?
I think it’s a double blessing that most of us still believe that Thanksgiving is a day for giving thanks to God, not just a time for feeling vaguely thankful while loading up on turkey and pumpkin pie, watching football AND perusing all the Black Friday ads! May we not forget the heart of Thanksgiving. In fact, it may seem like a cliche, but I believe Thanksgiving should be a part of our DNA where that spirit of gratitude is at the very core of our lives.
It was President Abraham Lincoln, on October 3, 1863, who issued a proclamation inviting citizens of the United States to “set apart and observe the last Thursday of November, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise.” His act established Thanksgiving as a national event. Thanks, President Lincoln!
I’ve been here at Epiphany Ranch in East Texas since Tuesday. I came packed with goodies and lots of ingredients for some yummy dishes of food. I love it here – in the great outdoors. There are no sounds of traffic or construction. There is an awareness of God so BIG in His BIG creation. It puts a whole new meaning to the song “How Big is God?” and how grateful I am His child and so are you!
“How big is God?
How big and wide His vast domain.
To try to tell, these lips can only start.
He’s big enough to rule this mighty universe.
Yet small enough to live within my heart!”
Thanksgiving is when we amp up our hearts of gratitude for the many blessings in our lives. This morning I woke up and……oh, let’s begin there. I woke up. I’m thankful for a bed and a good night’s sleep. I got out of bed….on my own. I went to the restroom….ON MY OWN! And, my “plumbing” worked!
Literally everything from the breath we breathe to the bills we pay is a celebration of thanksgiving. The bills we pay? Seriously? Oh yes, because those bills represent something to be thankful for — a car payment (we have a car); a house payment (we have a home); an electrical bill (we have a warm home).
A grateful heart sees each day as a gift. Thankful people focus less on what they lack and more on the privileges and blessings they have. The grateful heart is like a magnet that collects reasons for gratitude — for the paper clip to hold those pages together; for the milk in our cereal; for the song that soothes us; for the clock we hear ticking; for the light that turns on; for the safe drive home; for the clean water from our tap. Thank you, Lord!
May we choose gratitude as a daily habit and a way of life. May we adjust our lens and see our lives and our world through the eyes of a grateful heart. May we be overwhelmed with the beauty and abundance of it all. When we live with that kind of thanks-living, we will experience Thanksgiving Day…..everyday!