I can't believe that Thanksgiving is over already. This month has just flown by and I feel as if the rest of the year is going to speed by also. I am not just using words when I say this was the best Thanksgiving. Of course, anytime with family is good, but this one just seemed to be extra "thankful" for me.
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The kids always have so much fun together. Watching Jimmy and Zeke play together is just so special. And Anna and Grace always play so well. I managed to squeeze in a couple of games with Zeke, Anna and Grace while Jimmy was napping.
I can't help but reflect on just how blessed I am. Last week, Doug changed the oil in my car. He has been making sure that I keep up on all the car maintenance since Ken died. This time, he washed all the windows on the inside and cleaned and treated the interior. It felt like stepping into a new car for me! While Tim was spending Thanksgiving at my house, he was not just watching TV. He changed out all my old light switches in the upstairs (he had previously done the entire downstairs). He changed out the very old lights in two closets for LED fixtures and installed new switches to replace the old pull chains. He also put some new shelves in my laundry closet giving more much needed storage. He did a few more small tasks for me, that are really BIG things for this senior citizen. I am just so thankful for my family. They make sure I am well cared for.
As I was driving home on Thanksgiving, feeling so full and so loved, I couldn't help but reflect back on the Thanksgivings from my childhood. I actually couldn't really remember any Thanksgivings until I was in high school! I think that we never really celebrated much on Thanksgiving. Last week on Wednesday, I was remembering exactly where I was, 60 years ago - November 22, 1963. I have very clear memories of that day. I was in Fourth Grade. My teacher was called to the office. When she left the room and told us all to put our heads on our desk. When she came back, she was crying. She told us that the President of the United States had been shot and killed. When we left school that day, we didn't know when we be back in school. It ended up that we didn't go back to school until after Thanksgiving. I have clear memories of watching the funeral on television. It is so odd, to know exactly where you were and what you were doing on a particular day - sixty years ago. It is those bad, trauma days that we often remember.
I think this is why it is so important to end EVERY day with thanksgiving for that day. We need to keep every bit of good and pleasant things, before us, so that we remember the GOOD days more than the bad. I am very thankful that I have a long list of "Good Day" memories that do balance out those days of trauma. And I plan to make extra sure that I continue to fill up my "thankfulness" tank with lots of good things. I love how this verse reads from the Message translation....
Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best and not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly, things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard, and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:8-9
I love thinking about God "working" me into His harmonies! Isn't that just lovely? I want to be a part of God's songs! So I will set about being thankful and focusing on the good and true things, rather than all that is swirling around in the world! Won't you join me?
Jesus, thank you for the reminder that thankfulness actually help us! Holy Spirit help us cultivate the habit of seeing the good things from each day. Give us strength to find that good, even when things seem filled with bad. Encourage us, Jesus to praise you in our thankfulness. Help us to be those that spread joy and peace where ever we go. Thank you for families and friends. Amen
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