Giving Thanks

Life is Good

It's easy to flounder in the sea of fear conjured up by the media and their uncanny ability to take every positive blessing we receive in this world and complain about it enough to make it feel like a curse.  It's easy to forget that life actually is pretty good when you filter out all the muck and truly take a look, with fresh eyes, at everything we are given.

Thanksgiving is one of the few reminders we get to just stop and enjoy life.  To some people, it means a delicious meal spent in the company of family with football on the television, and that's good enough.  To others, it is a calling to put aside our complaint calculators and start counting our blessings instead of trying to find fault with them.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to put aside my own complaints and take a moment to be thankful for everything I've been given.  I hope that any of my readers can make their own list even longer than mine and look to it when they feel hope beginning to slip.

I am thankful for...

...answered prayers.  God is good.  For a long time, I have denied His very existence but when I sought forgiveness, it was given to me.  When I seek comfort and peace, it is given to me.  I don't ask for much, but God makes his presence known in my life when I need Him most, in both small and large ways.
...my daughter-to-be, one of the largest blessings I will ever receive.  She came as a welcome surprise amid worries and tears of ever having a family.  Every little kick brings a smile to my face, and every milestone, tears to my eyes.  Waiting to hold her in my arms instead of my womb is already teaching me the patience I know I'll need to parent her effectively.
...my fiance, who provides me with a life I would be incapable of providing for myself.  Words are inadequate to describe everything he has done for me and continues to do for me, but I am grateful for all his selfless sacrifices.  His work ethic and dedication are to be admired, and he gives me hope in this world's ability to still produce good men.  
...my family, especially my mother and father who have always been a firm rock beneath my feet that keeps my head above water in the most turbulent of rivers.  Ever giving, ever loving, and ever patient, they are the perfect example upon which I hope to model myself for my own daughter.
...my dog, who sometimes tests my patience but loves me unconditionally and is a valued member of our family.  He's loyal and cuddly, and his very presence makes me feel safe.
...our home, a place to call our own with four walls and a roof to protect and comfort us.
...clean, safe water delivered to my home on demand.  I can drink, cook, clean and bathe with confidence with the simple act of turning a knob.
...grocery stores that provide me with a variety of nutritional resources that would normally be unavailable in this region, especially to someone who doesn't find laboring in fields to be appealing.
...access to the internet, a place where I can exercise my freedom of speech and share my ideas with people of all backgrounds and persuasions.

...and so much more.  But it's getting late, and I need to sleep so I can cook our first real Thanksgiving for Two (the only one I'll be cooking "for two") and start our own family traditions tomorrow.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!