I have a few friends and family on FaceBook that are doing the whole "Today I am thankful for..." I did it last year and it is a great thing to do to remind ourselves of the things that mean something to us and we are grateful to have. My list is a little different this year and I hope I am grateful for these things all year, not just during the month of November.
I am thankful for a hot cup of coffee in the morning, followed by a hot shower. I'm thankful for a roof over my head, four walls, central heating, and a comfy bed to sleep in. I'm thankful for food in my refrigerator and pantry. I'm thankful for electricity that keeps my computer running (among other things!) I'm grateful that I have warm clothes and a washer and dryer to keep them clean. I'm grateful that I have a really comfortable pair of shoes I can wear during the day and for my leopard slippers I wear at night.
I'm thankful for my job, even when the circumstances aren't particularly great. I'm thankful that my dad is still here and that we are all celebrating Thanksgiving with his side of the family. I'm thankful for new friends and for long time friends, they add so much to my life. I'm thankful for FaceBook keeping me connected with both.
I'm thankful for rental car specials so that I can travel to be with my family this Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for my dad paying for that rental car and for the motel room I'll be staying in. (Love you, Pop!)
I'm thankful for my church family, their love and care and the joy they bring to my life. I'm thankful for the people who mentored me during my teenage years: Mrs. Madelina, Mrs. Boodt, and Valerie Young. Thank you for teaching me so much and for giving me the confidence to help other young people.
I'm also thankful for the trials and tribulations that come. They are not easy and I don't feel very thankful while I am going through them. My dad's cancer; watching people I liked and worked with losing their jobs and wondering if I'll be next. Watching the world go crazy around me.
Here's what I have learned and why I am thankful for the trials that come. While I woudn't wish cancer on anyone, least of all my dad, it has brought our family closer than ever before. It has made me more empathetic towards people going through similar things. It has changed all of us for the better. I am sorry for those I worked with that lost their jobs through no fault of their own and watching this has made me appreciate all the more that I have a job, even one that makes me crazy sometimes.
This world is going crazy all around me, but I am thankful that I love and serve a God that does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and always. Did I pray for a different outcome at electrion? Yes. But I also prayed, THY WILL BE DONE. I'm not jumping up and down over a second term, but I am trusting that God has a purpose for this. Kings and kingdoms will all pass away...I'm thankful that I have come to a place where I can trust my Creator no matter what is going on.
I hope during this Thanksgiving that each person will stop and think about the little things they are thankful for, right along with the big ones, before diving headfirst into a food coma.
Good night, all. I'm done speechifying and I'm going to go sleep in the warm, comfy bed that I am thankful for.
