A Season of Thanksgiving

The holiday season is upon us, and that means that my favorite holiday is just around the corner. I love Thanksgiving because it takes me back in my memory to a very happy time in my life when all of my family would gather on the fourth Thursday in November and enjoy a feast of food and fellowship. 

I can still recall the smells and tastes of some of those wonderful dishes we enjoyed. I can still recall my grandmother’s kitchen where my mother and aunts, along with my grandmother, worked beside each other to prepare a feast. There was laughter, conversation, instruction, and often a reprimand when those of us who were younger got in the way.

After my grandmother and grandfather had passed from this life, our day of thanksgiving moved to my childhood home. My mother, along with whoever was available to help, could provide a feast equal to those of my younger days.

Now that my parents are gone, I love Thanksgiving because my children and their families still gather with us for a time of wonderful fellowship and food. My daughter and daughter-in-law work beside me in the kitchen to provide a feast for our family.

At this time of year, many people pause and reflect upon the things for which they are thankful in this life. I am often challenged on Facebook to “list for ten consecutive days a blessing for which I am thankful.” Since I don’t accept challenges on FB, this often goes by the wayside. I am, however, thankful for many things.

I hope you will not only read the following list of things for which I am thankful, but also will be challenged to make your own list –at least mentally – of all of the things for which you have to be thankful on a daily basis.

I am thankful for:

…God, my Father, who loves me and provides a way for me to live with Him one day.  (John 3:16)

…Jesus, my Brother, who set that perfect example for my life.  (1 Peter 2:21)

…the inspiration of the Holy Spirit which allowed men to write the Bible – my guide through this life on my way to Heaven.  (Psalm 119:105)

…family members in the past who led me and helped me to develop my faith. (Deut. 6: 7)

…my husband – the spiritual leader in our home and a man whom I love and respect. (Eph. 5:33)

…the self-sacrificing love that my husband gives me on a daily basis. (Eph. 5:25)

…my children and their mates. (Psalm 127: 3)

…my grandchildren who are being reared in Christian homes. (3 John: 4)

…time spent with my children and grandchildren singing praises to God. (Psalm 100:1-2)

…the congregation with which I am privileged to worship and serve God. (Phil. 1: 3-5)

…the men who selflessly serve as elders and deacons in my congregation.  (1 Tim. 5:17)

…the ministers who faithfully teach and preach the word every week.  (Romans 10:14-15)

…the women who nurture and lovingly care for so many who are in need.  (Prov. 31)

…the challenges in life which build character within me.  (James 1:2)

…the beauty of nature around me and the changing of the seasons. (Psalm 8:3-4)

…the promises of God, and the fact that I never have to doubt them. (Hebrews 10:23)

…the fact that this list could go on forever.

“give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

1 Thessalonians 5:18

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