Thanks for Everything

We just returned from two weeks in Egypt. So many experiences and impressions I don’t know how to talk about them all. Meantime, Thanksgiving is upon us. Always grateful for that.

It occurs that we, as Americans, are among the few nations who celebrate that holiday, along with Canadians who do it earlier. It’s also the biggest travel holiday of the year . . . something I was often informed of when we lived in Canada (the Canadians finding us inscrutable in so many ways). But that aside, what we have in common is a dedicated day for gratitude, if we’ll remember that’s what it’s for.

Around many tables tomorrow someone will ask everybody to state something they’re grateful for. Some will answer thoughtfully; for others it’ll be the first time they thought of it and will get through it with a glib “turkey and dressing” or “friends and family” or “everything.”

Fair enough, all these are good things. But for any who would like a grab bag of other thoughts to draw from, here’s a quick random selection that might apply.

The house we live in
The cars we drive
Our roads
Our job
Our children
Their children
Our parents, living or dead
Our health
The air we breathe and the lungs to breathe it by
Sleep and the comfort of our beds
The trees around us and all the plants
Our pets and friends in the animal kingdom
Airports and airplanes
All telecommunications
911
Helpful neighbors
Electric light, furnaces and indoor plumbing (hot and cold)
The sun and the rain
Our computers and Internet and access to all knowledge
The art on our walls
Cut flowers in a vase
Good coffee
Stores everywhere
Our wherewithal to buy things
Eyes to see, ears to hear, touch to feel, noses to savor
Our books and movies and all entertainments
Our opportunities for travel
Decent shoes
Opportunities to give
Our own stories
The wonder of our knowledge
The wonder of things beyond our knowledge
Our own particular gifts that make us unique
Our spouse to have and to hold
Our existence and the wonder of our lives in this time and place
God himself, the giver of our lives and all good things
Our voice, with which to express these things
And, as we started: our friends, the Thanksgiving meal and of course: everything!

Here’s a scripture on that, I Timothy 4.4:  For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.

I’ll take that. You can have it too.

Bless your holiday.

_________________

PS  We’re hosting an open house and show the weekend after next: December 2 and 3, both afternoons.  33752 Big Sur, Dana Point.  All invited.