What happens?
Before Thanksgiving?
When I was little, Thanksgiving meant a very delicious meal and a big, white, fluffy coconut cake Mama made to celebrate Daddy’s birthday, which came about the same time.
When I was grown it meant a visit home and lots of good cooking and talks.
When I was married with children, the holiday took on lots more duties. Visiting both sets of parents, getting children packed for the trip, and helping with all the work involved in a big meal and visiting in someone else’s home was fun and tiring at the same time.
Now as a Granma with married children, Thanksgiving may be at our house or one of the children’s.
The grocery list is made, the trip to the grocery store is done, the house is cleaned, and the table is set. We plan the menu, take turns cooking and cleaning, and fill the time with laughter, talking, playing with the children, and enjoying each other.
We always go around and tell what we are thankful for as we pray before our meal.
Why is it important to “say” what we are grateful for?
To say what we are thankful for means we have to stop, think, and express gratitude!
How many times do you hear thank you? How many thank you cards do you get in the mail? I venture to say very few. Handwriting cards and letters is a lost art of diminishing etiquette.
Of course, we appreciate the email or text that says thank you, and lets us know the person we gifted or helped, appreciated our effort. A phone call to say thank you is a treat, too.
But there is something about getting out the special card chosen to send someone in appreciation, choosing the right pen, crafting words to say what we feel that is calming and a kind of meditation on the person and what they did for us.
What thank you card do you need to send this year?
Who has done the most for you and me?
Jesus Christ came from perfection in heaven to our sinful, fallen world and walked among us. Clothed in skin He taught us who God is, what God can do , and what our purpose is, as well as how we should live with Him and each other. He took on our sins, died on the cross accepting the punishment we deserved, rose again to offer us forgiveness and eternal life.
“Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:7
Let’s plan to “overflow!”
