Happy Thanksgiving!

Being thankful can be challenging. There are certainty times when I think and forget to be thankful for life , for breathing, for good health, a job, some money, food, a roof over my head. Yes I have a lot to be thankful for. We live in thankless times and times where people fail to be grateful for what they do have. I get that many don’t have a warm bed, food, good health, but many decide and choose to be grateful for life. I often this is in children who teach us valuable lessons on being grateful.

Today I see so much division, hate, anger that people just wish to place the blame on society, government and anything they feel justifies their feelings. But at the end of the day we have control and make choices that lead us to today. Yes may not have made good choices for ourselves and family and playing the consequences.

GOD is always there and in my family we are thankful for everything we have although like many we want more. More money, better living situations, better health, although our health is good.  Often many of us will look at others who have more, more riches, nicer homes, fancier cars and compare that to our lives, disappointed and ungrateful for what we do have.

Let’s stop focusing on what others do have and what we do not have , but thankful for those in our life that love us and those we love ourselves. Thankful that you are not living on the street, but if you do live on the street as in homeless that is a brighter day for even those individuals.

I look around today and see ungratefulness, a society of ME, ME, ME. What do I get , who is going to give me this in life, Why do I have to work for this and that. Now there are those who look around and say, its ok if I do not get everything I want in life. Its ok if I don’t get married, have kids, have the perfect job or career, but I have good health, I have a roof over my head, I have a mind to do things and the will to do things in my life.

There are many who do not have the will to do things for themselves, who lay in bed all day, who drink to ease their pain or take drugs. There are who have just given up because they forgot what It means to be thankful for what you do have.

I certainty try to life my life according to the word of God and scripture says such as :

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
• Colossians 3:17 says, “and whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

There are many scriptures about being thankful, why is that well because GOD knows that we as being have the tendency to be ungrateful. I am sorry to say often when our eyes are opened is when tragedy affects us, not that I wish that on anyone.

A few years ago on Thanksgiving , we almost lost our daughter, as in she almost died. We were visiting my sister for thanksgiving dinner, we were happy, thankful but on this day, our daughter was hit by a car. Our daughter who was around 6 at the time attempt to cross the parking lot when at that moment a car was carelessly driving fast and I believe when Our daughter attempted to cross she ran into the car. The impact of the moving car threw her a few feet away from the car. Her store coming off and get some scraps and bruises, no broken bones , but was taken to the hospital for observation. The police and fire men were wonderful and caring from what I remember, but sadly no apology from the driver. One could say well who was watching our daughter and your right that was our fault, I guess we had trust she would say put, but she ran towards us, something I will always remember. It was one of the scariest moments of our life, unforgettable but thankful to have our daughter with us today.

Through my life I have grown to be thankful for my life, my literal life as many , many years ago I attempted to end my life, but was saved. Saved to share future thanksgivings, Christmases, holidays, getting married, the birth of my daughter. I know what I means to feel hopeless, ungrateful, Thankless and I truly know deep in my gut that is not who I want to be, because I do have lots to be thankful for. Although my mother who passed away in 2015 is no longer here, I have my father, sister, brother in law , wife and daughter.

For those who believe in GOD and JESUS, because God is in control of your life. Give thanks because GOD will work all things together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

In this time of season remember to give thanks, tell those in your life, your thankful for them, love more, be kinder.