Gina Caswell Kelly
There is much to love about Thanksgiving. I know, people think we sail right by it. Halloween is over and it is time to start thinking about Christmas. But, somewhere in the middle comes Thanksgiving.
Actually, when I was in elementary school, Thanksgiving was one of my favorite holidays. Mostly because I loved the art projects. I loved that we would always color and cutout Pilgrim men and women. I don’t really know why I liked that so much. I can still see them hanging in the hallways outside our classrooms. Then, of course, tracing your hand and making a turkey and coloring him with bright fall colors.
But, there is so much more to Thanksgiving than a week off from school and cutesy art projects. Thanksgiving is a time to, stating the obvious here, be thankful. And sometimes in our world today, that is not always easy for folks to do. But, the truth of the matter is that there is much for which to be thankful.
We are thankful for our family and friends. We are thankful for our communities. We are thankful for our workplaces. Thankful for good harvests, when they come, and thankful for next year when they don’t.
We are thankful we get to live in the greatest country on earth, even when it seems at times bent on self-destruction. Still we are blessed to call ourselves Americans. We are thankful for our freedoms and those who have given so much to protect them. We are thankful that we still live free and still have the options to make choices for ourselves.
Most of all, we are thankful for God the Father, who sent His Son to give us the free gift of salvation. We thankful for His gift of the Holy Spirit who walks with us daily. We are thankful for the daily guidance and watch care we have. This One who cares so much more about us, than we even do for ourselves.
In the Bible, Jesus tells the disciples to forgive people 70 X 7 times. Which I interpret to mean that each time the offense comes to mind, forgive them again. Let’s take it a step further. How about we also be thankful 70 X 7 times? How about each time you think of someone, be thankful for them and what they mean to you and your life? Let’s adopt an attitude of gratefulness in this coming year. Let’s truly be thankful for all the blessings in our lives, both big and small.
God has blessed us in so many ways. Never forget to be thankful!
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18.
Be thankful!
