Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday... This year I've been especially aware that people seem to want to skip this beautiful holiday, jumping from Halloween to Christmas before all the leaves had fallen.
Sometimes my frustrated cry of "sanctity of Thanksgiving" feels futile in the face of consumerism and self-focus. But as long as someone is there to raise the "sanctity of Thanksgiving" alarm, then there is a spark of hope. And who doesn't need a spark of hope in these short days and long nights of late autumn (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere)?
Without further ado, here are some things I am grateful for... This list is by no means exhaustive!
- The grace and patience of the Lord, even when I have been faithless
- The holiness of God—a gift which He imparts to us
- This fabulous playlist of Thanksgiving hymns
- The Bible Project podcast and Tim's sermon podcast, Exploring My Strange Bible
- Soft, warm, fuzzy sweaters with pockets... Given to me as a gift and which is nice enough to be worn to work, and cosy enough to be worn with leggings around the house
- The Chosen (Seriously, Season 2 Episode 2 about Nathanael makes me cry. Every. Single. Time.)
- Books! I am grateful for stories that dance us across the universe and time, land us in the shoes of a different-than-I-am person, and give us perspective we didn't have before
- People who read audiobooks—I salute you and I am ever so grateful for you!
- Being seen and included by many friends and family
- Being loved...in spite of myself
- Open hearts and open arms
- My loving, patient, thought-provoking co-workers
- My dear small group family
- My blood family... The more I meet other people, the more I realise what a gift it is that my family loves me, is safe, deals with conflict (to some degree), takes responsibility for wrongdoings, etc. My family aren't perfect (they'd have to kick me out if they were), but they image the Trinity to me
- Abigail getting baptised in the ocean this summer!
- My kind, sweet, thoughtful boyfriend—Nick—who listens to me, shares his heart with me, who is considerate of others, and who is home to me like no one else
- My bestest friends, Kasey (who came to visit me last month!) and Lyndi
- Two-day work weeks and a five-day break
- Getting to edit for work (as in, it's a paying job!)
- Tastebuds and toenails, throats-that-aren't-sore, working limbs, breathing without pain, a heart that doesn't feel like it's being squeezed, and all the other things I too often take for granted until they don't work...
- Oh.... And did I mention that I am grateful for Nick? Because... I am =]
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