I try to live in a spirit of gratitude every day, but this holiday is a chance to spend more time meditating upon a few specific reasons to be thankful. I hope you’ll read over this list slowly and think about your own life.
1.) God the Father.
2.) Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord.
3.) My devoted, loving, and godly husband, John.
5.) Our beautiful daughters, Jill and Ann.
6.) That all four of our parents are still in good health.
7.) Extended family and friends.
8.) That I have a great boss and an interesting, challenging job I believe in and enjoy.
9.) The wonderful writers and other publishing professionals I work with.
10.) To live in America.
Now for a few fun reasons I’m thankful:
1.) Books.
2.) I have a good stuffing recipe I learned from a missionary, Matilda Alexander.
3.) I don’t feel compelled to rise at 3 AM or earlier to stand in line at a store for Black Friday specials.
4.) Mild Virginia weather.
5.) That we can nap after dinner.
Your turn:
I only highlighted a few reasons I’m thankful. Surely you have many you can add. Whether serious or fun, what are you thankful for today, and every day?
You and I are thankful for many of the same things, Tamela.
I’m thankful for:
Above all: God and His mercy
Then: a Husband who loves me above all else.
Wonderful children and grandchildren
Living in America is a big one for me
My health
Friends who have been with me during the thick and thin
My wonderful agent
The Steve Laube Agency
Sheba, Heidi, and Sunny … my best furry friends
Now for Fun:
Modern day ovens… Turkey is cooking as I type 🙂
Computers
Washers and Dryers… all kinds! LOL
Books! Books and more Books!
Chocolate!
I’m thankful for same things you have mentioned, Tamela and Rhonda.
1)A Merciful God who sees past our imperfections.
2)A Godly husband, children, and a wonderful new grandbaby.
3)Family and friends who are there when I need them.
4)A wonderful Agent!
5)Our military who many this Thanksgiving are away from family and loved ones.
6)My career
7)My Church
Fun things
1)Hair dye
2)make-up
3)That I can now shop online for Christmas
4)My most comfortable pair of cowboy boots
5)That I don’t have to wear a corset, steel hoops and 30 pounds of clothing.
I’m just going to list the fun things:
1. Coffee. COFFEE!!!
2. That my kids love broccoli.
3. That the pumpkin pie I baked last night turned out okay.
4. For music that inspires me.
I’m extremely grateful for a God Who is so loving that He created a universe with such intimate detail. Imagine a world without:
flowers, or butterflies;
singing birds, and birds to eat;
the sweet gentle caress of lips against a cheek in heartfelt tender love;
the spontaneous laughter of children;
sunsets that take your breathe away;
words put to story or song (and the calling to do just that);
God coming to Earth as an infant instead of this all-powerful Creator Who could end this existence for us all in an instant;
the love of our Savior Who gave us His all at the cross.
Happy Thaksgiving Y’all!
What FUN and inspiring comments! Now Rhonda and Debbie Lynne, y’all make my eyes mist. Thank you!
Are you kidding? It would take all day to list the things I’m thankful for!
Happy Thanksgiving, sweet Tamela. So grateful for you.
Happy Thanksgiving also to Steve, and Karen.
I’m thankful for my every breath and that I am soul-safe with my Savior, Jesus Christ!
I’m thankful for the online writing community. I feel strongly that my move into writing fiction was done in God’s timing (long story) and that He knew I’d need the support and motivation given by other folks who knew far more about the publishing business than I did.
So happy Thanksgiving to you, Tamela, and to all the other publishing industry people out there who take time out of your busy days to keep us on the path to publication!
I am thankful for God’s all-sufficient grace, and that He is a God of second, third and fourth chances.
And that we no longer life in the days of carbon paper and eraser shields.
I am thankful that comments are limited, else I would not make an end of my thanks. I am also thankful that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus sent me into a wilderness for seven years so I could be a faithful scribe to His revealed heart. That I cannot publish the resulting six books, is also in the hands of the Great God, so I am as thankful that I have learnt to let go and leave it all to Him. Beyond that I am eternally thankful for the wife and two sons who stood by me and held up their arms in support, whilst I fought on. Most of all, though, I am thankful for the love that drew salvation’s plan so that my name could be written in the book of life.
I’m thankful for so many things, not the least of which is a wonderful agent and friend named Tamela. What fun to be a Tamelite!!!
Sometimes it is easy to forget, in the midst of trouble, just how much we are blessed. We have tunnel vision. Seeing only what is wrong, and looking past what is wonderful. As thanksgiving is upon us, I want to see the good things. The true things. The things that God has provided for me, and what He has done for me. When I look around with my eyes fully open, I find I am almost speechless at His love.
We have Salvation-a truly marvelous and eternal gift. Heaven in all its glory is ours. Our Redeemer gave His all, so we would be saved. He did what we could not.
We have our families. We have much to thank God for. He has provided people to love, and people to love us. Human companionship is a gift that is matchless in its simplicity, and marvelous in all its complexity. Our children, our loved ones, our extended families. They are a piece of God on earth.
We have finally, each other. Believers are our other family. I thank God every day, for each one of you, and for believers all over the world-with whom we are eternally related. I grew up an only child. I longed for a bigger family. God has gifted me, and all of us, with brothers and sisters without number!
So thank God for all your many blessings, and smile.
Mary Ellen, your article is so wonderful. May I share it with our believer family all over the world? I am sure that it will bless the hearts of all who read it. Glory to God!
Do you have a month to read the reasons why I’m thankful? OK, I’ll simply mention a few. I’m thankful that after college I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior. The statistics of that happening in someone after age 21 are slim. PTL. I’m one of the exceptions. I’m thankful for the members of my family who are still alive. I’m thankful to live in the USA where I can worship God, carry my Bible and speak and write for Him openly. Hallelujah.
Thank you for this wonderful blog post! While I’m not a Tamelite, I am, nonetheless, so grateful for Tamela. From the first time I met her years ago at a writers’ conference, I knew that she knew Jesus! His love exudes from her and blesses all who cross her path.
Thanking God for you, Tamela! 🙂
MaryAnn
Every moment God gives me is one to embrace and explore. Inside these moments, I can choose to educate myself or encourage another or both! I am grateful for the “right now’s” of my days, realizing I don’t have to wait until I’m published to celebrate them!
I am glad to be a woman at this time in history when there are so many choices open to me; but I am also glad to be a Christian woman, with the freedom to be who God created me to be. I don’t have to fit the world’s mold of womanhood. God’s design for womanhood gives me more freedom, fullness, and opportunities for fruitfulness than I ever imagined as a young girl. In Christ, I have abundant life.
And as I get older, I am thankful that I have godly sisters to rub shoulders with. We spur each other on to good works, kingdom work, and healthy, godly attitudes.
For the loving, omnipotent hand that flung the stars and created all, yet at a single point of time, chose to be tiny and cling in dependence to the hand of a young virgin…
Grateful for you, too, Kathi. I am blessed by the visitors you have brought to this blog post. Loving these comments!
I deeply appreciate the Godly example you offer every day, as well as our friendship.
MaryAnn, I am humbled by your kind words, and I must say, I feel the same way about you! I will always remember meeting you for the first time as well. Your workshop was so uplifting and inspiring. You introduced me to The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, a book that has enriched my life. Thank you!
I am thankful for my God and creator, for the family and friends he has given me, for the opportunities he has provided, for the circumstances he has placed me, and for the dreams he has planted in my mind.
Thank you!
I am thankful for the gift of having lived this long.
A grandgirl who just turned 1!
Lots of extended family and their love.
Friends who love me and my family.
A rich Thanksgiving.
Running hot water.
4 children who I’m proud of!
God’s faithfulness.
It’s been a tradition since my 12 year old granddaughter, Cierra Rose, was born that we write three things about each other that we are thankful for. Of course, she was not able to write herself but he mom did a great job until she knew how. We do this right after dinner and have had the pies. I find that things I have wanted to say during the year tend to come out at this time. For example, I get the opportunity to tell my son-in-love, my daughters husband, David, how much I appreciate him and all he does for me. It’s a great way to communicate feelings, positive or not so positive, because it’s in a safe environment where there’s lots of love. I have two other grand children now, Madi Grace, 5, and Zacariah,3, they were able to voice their hearts, which brought us all to tears, so precious. I have these little pieces of paper that we all write the three things about each other in my safe, because, yes, they are the most precious things to me besides Jesus! We as believers have much to be thankful for, don’t you agree?
A side note, I am personally thankful to be Kathi Macias’ friend and am thankful for her talent as I enjoy ALL of her books! Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving.
Blessings & Smiles
John 1:1
Rose, yes, I agree! And what a great tradition.
Now that we are back to work, hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving!
Thank You Lord
Inspired by my late brother Kit Goins
This prayer is to thank you for the peace
we so often take for granted:
For the sunsets on a quiet beach
For the stars at night that are out of reach
For the precious moments loved ones share
And the things they do to show they care
For the serenity of a warm gentle breeze
For the times with you Lord down on my knees
For the simple times when worries are few
For the lessons learned for the wrongs we do
For the pain, the struggles and the fear
And for all the burdens that we bear
For without these trials and tribulations
we wouldn’t experience prayers elation’s
Money, material goods and wealth
aren’t worth a thing without good health
Help us not to forget the simple pleasures
and remember that our hearts are hidden treasures
For all that matters is what’s inside
In the end our souls will override
~ Kim Meyer ~
Copyright © 2007
Kim:
Thank you for sharing your lovely poem! I will suggest that others stop by and read this. God bless you!