Happy Thanksgiving!
/I am writing my blog early this week because I’m gonna be busy the rest of the week. That’s definitely NOT to say I won’t write something else if it strikes my fancy. If I see a news story about…oh, say, a woman hitting herself over the head with a garden gnome, you can be certain it will find its way here…
What makes us thankful? What are things we are thankful for? How does thankfulness play into our daily lives? How thankful are we? I like to ask myself these questions during the holiday season because, to be honest, it’s one time of year where everyone is focused on gratitude. I’m trying to find a way to carry it in my heart all year long.
As a culture and as a society as a whole, we are busy. We are constantly in the go, whether physically or virtually. My mind is never still during the day. I am inundated with a constant flow of information right at my fingertips in the form of my iPhone and laptop. It makes it hard to shut down when, with just one little swipe of my finger, I can discover why the earth may be flat or watch a chicken dance on the end of a toothpick. Important things like that. I’m not sure how I managed to survive, lo these many years, without this information. I am actually from a generation that left the house totally incommunicado, never once worrying what would happen because my phone was left at home, plugged into the wall. And no voice mail. And…SHOCK(!)…people actually called back if the phone wasn’t answered right away! Imagine the privacy…
My point in all this was to simply point out we have little to no way to stop the onslaught of information. But we CAN take a few moments each day to turn it off and be thankful for our blessed lives. If we are breathing in and out, our lives are blessed. We have hard times, all of us. We all have moments that literally take away our breath, and we think we’ll never breathe again. But we recover, and we eventually inhale the sweet air of gratitude. It’s a gift from God.
As we go into Thanksgiving day, most of us will stuff ourselves with turkey and pie. We will watch football. We may even nap. We could even raise a glass of wine in a toast. Or if you’re southern, a plastic Dixie cup filled with sweet tea, with your name written on it with a Sharpie. You may argue with relatives over politics, religion, prayer in school, or Aunt Minnie’s pecan pie recipe (and let me just say right here and now, it’s pronounced “”pee-can” with heavy emphasis on the “can”. Hats off to you, Paula Deen). At the end of the day, if guns weren’t drawn, knives stayed sheathed, and Uncle Willie didn’t fall out drunk off the front porch, was a thankful, grateful day. I’m speculating because I don’t have an Uncle Willie or an Aunt Minnie. But i do have some questionable relatives, so anything is possible…
I am grateful and so very thankful for each one of you who read my blogs. You have made my childhood dream of becoming a writer come true. It is my privilege and an honor to serve you in this way, and I am sincerely blessed to be a small part of your lives. Happy Thanksgiving!
