Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians! We have so much to be thankful for on this journey: big, life-encompassing things along with the little daily shards of glory we encounter.
Some of the big things I'm thankful for . . .
- My amazing Savior, whose depth I couldn't plumb even in a thousand lifetimes. For Him I am grateful.
- My family. They are Home and Love and a Safe Place to Be. I am grateful for them.
- My friends. People who 'get' me, on whichever level our friendship is--they know me. I know them. I am grateful.
- Health. I'm grateful.
- A nation in which I can worship God freely, contribute to how the country is run, and live in relative safety. I'm grateful.
- Every single church service, message, book, devotional, or Bible study that has given me something to chew on. I'm grateful.
And there are hundreds of little things that bring a smile of thanks to my face. If I tried to list them all, we'd be here for days and I still wouldn't be done. Lately I've been thankful for . . .
- The sound of a friend's voice over the phone.
- Hugs.
- Yellow leaves whirling down to rest on the front lawn.
- A bicycle ride.
- A shared joke.
- Soft carpet beneath my bare toes.
- The smell of coffee grounds.
- Songs that perfectly express how I feel.
- Blank notebook pages waiting to be written in.
- Flowers still blooming in mid-October.
- Happy customers at work.
- Buttered fresh bread.
- A favorite scarf.
- Compliments given and received.
- The beautiful browns and burgundies and golds and reds of autumn.
- Sleeping in and lingering over breakfast with my family.
- A stack of books.
- Barbecues.
- My sisters' giggling across the house.
- Conversations with my brother.
- The voice of a cello filling the vehicle as I drive home from work.
- A movie that instantly becomes one of those happy places, a comfort film you know you'll watch again whenever you need a pick-me-up.
- A stunning sunrise.
- And all of you readers and commenters--I'm thankful for you!
It's been said that if you wake up in the morning complaining, you'll have little time to be thankful. But if you wake up and choose to be thankful, you'll find you have little time for complaining. It's all about your outlook. You may not be able to change your circumstances or the people around you, but you can control how you see them.
"In everything, give thanks . . ." Not for everything (we aren't thankful for catastrophe or illness or strife), but in everything. In the midst of the struggle or heartache, we can find something worth being thankful for. And when we do, we'll find the hard times much easier to bear.
What big or small things are you grateful for today?
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you had a good one, This year was my first away from my immediate family, so it was a little harder for me. I did have my best friend, and my Aunt and Uncle though, and they made no less than four pies when they found out how much I love pie. So I guess I am thankful for God, Family, Friends, and of course Pie!
ReplyDelete:D
I did, thank you! I had two gatherings this weekend, and I've got one more coming up next weekend.
DeleteThat must've been hard to be away from family. *hugs* But pie definitely helps. XD And four of them too! What kinds did they make?
Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! This post made me feel all warm and fuzzy - I totally agreed with your list of little things that made you thankful. It's so true that remembering the good things God has given you, however small, makes the hard stuff that much easier to bear. Hope your October is filled with friends and laughter and good books and the smell of coffee brewing. :)
ReplyDeleteRight back atcha, Sarah! ^_^ It's so good for the attitude to notice those little things, isn't it?
DeleteThank you muchly--that sort of October sounds wonderful! I hope yours is equally good, and that classes and exams go even better than expected. :)
Huh. I had not idea Canadians had a Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving! I love the last paragraph of your post especially. I think that's a wonderful way to look at being thankful. You can't be thankful for everything, but you can always find something to be grateful for. I never thought of it that way! Today I am thankful for the fact that Christmas is going to sneak up on us sooner than we think. I can't wait to see my Grandma and Grandpa, eat and bake Christmas cookies, tramp through the snow, and celebrate Jesus's birthday. I am also thankful for the fact that I can listen to Christmas music anytime I want to. Hence, why I have been listening to Christmas music for a month now. Yes, I know I am crazy. :D
ReplyDeleteReally? Yep, our Thanksgiving comes earlier than yours. (The idea of a November Thanksgiving has always felt odd to me, LOL.)
DeleteChristmas! Goodness, it's coming up so fast! I love the season, though, so that's a good thing. Your description reminds me of cozy memories! :) And you're listening to Christmas music already? Ah, so you're one of *those* people... Just kidding! XD I think that's great. Thanks for commenting, Ana!
Happy Thanksgiving to my dear Canadian friend! ^_^
ReplyDeleteThis was so beautiful and such a wonderful reminder to always be grateful for the big things but also the all the little things life brings. That's something I like to focus on, too. Even if life isn't going your way, there are still so, so many things to be thankful for. I adored your list!
A love what you said about waking up in the morning and being thankful instead of complaining. Something I should definitely practice!
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, beautiful girl! <3
Why thank you! ^_^
DeleteSo true. There's always something to be thankful for, no matter what's going on in your life. It just takes more effort to find them during those times. :)
Oh, me too! I need to put that into practice much more.
I did (soooo much food...) and I hope yours next month is wonderful too! <3
I know I'm saying this late, but Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great list. It's so luminous with thankfulness and warmth.
I may not always sound like it, but I'm thankful for the coming election. I mean, we can vote! Not everyone has that privilege.
Same to you, however belated!
Delete"Luminous with thankfulness and warmth." I love that description. Thank you. :)
I'm thankful for that too! It's crazy to think that there are countries where people are fighting with everything they have to win the right to vote, and here many of us don't even drag ourselves out to cast ours. (I was one of the weird teens who was excited to turn 18 simply because I could vote. XD)
Aw. ^ ^ It's not Thanksgiving here in the States, but I loved reading your list of things you are thankful for. I'm thankful for cool weather and writing buddies and commenters too!
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Happy early Thanksgiving, Tori! Oh, I love all three of those things myself. Great things to be thankful for! :)
DeleteHappy (VERY) belated Thanksgiving! This was a sweet post, and fun to read :)
ReplyDeleteThanksgiving (American) is one of my favorite holidays, so I'm thinking I should adopt Canadian Thanksgiving and celebrate it TWICE!
Why thank you! This post was as much a reminder to myself as to anyone else... We just have so much to be thankful for.
DeleteYou should! Twice as much turkey! XD