Being Thankful

Thanksgiving means something different to everyone.

I have no idea what it means to you as you read these words. But, since they are my words, I am going to share what it means to me to be thankful.

Being thankful is the ability to look back over the years and see the good times and the bad and know that each time was part of a bigger plan for me and my family. It is being able to laugh about the potato sandwiches and cracker burgers....and realize how far we have come.

It is seeing all the ups and downs of marriage and still looking at the one you married and knowing you wouldn't have done it any other way.

It is remembering all those that have come through your life and all they have added. It is the advise of grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts that you can now hear yourself repeating to your own families.

And it is knowing that who you are is shaped by those that have loved you.

Thankfulness is sitting back, and really looking at all that has taken place in your life and the lives of those that mean the most and truly recognizing what God has done, that prayer works, that He has been here for every trial, every victory.

It is seeing your children, grown into *semi* adulthood, seeing who they are and what they stand for, listening to them as the values that you have given them are repeated out of their mouths. Knowing that their future dreams for themselves all involve the Master Planner.

Thanksgiving is not a one day occurrence for me...you see, I have way too much to be thankful for to confine it to one day. Everyday is a day to rejoice, a day to praise!

Thanksgiving is a way of life....not just a day to overeat.