Being Thankful...

Have you given Thanks lately for what you have in your life? I am sure many of you, with myself guilty as well, have griped about what you do not have. With the holidays fast approaching it is very easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season without stopping to realize the true meaning. I am thankful today, I will be thankful tomorrow, and I will make every attempt each day to wake up thankful and thank God for the blessings he has granted me and not go to him only when I have a problem or need something. I am thankful for waking up every morning with a roof over my head. I am thankful that I can wake up each morning with my best friend right beside me. I am thankful that I can wake up each morning to the sound of little feet running into my bedroom to start the day (although usually earlier than I would like them to). I am thankful for my wonderful family, near and far. I am thankful for the most amazing friends anyone could ask for. I am thankful for a God that forgives. I am thankful for his son who died on the cross that day so that my sins may be forgiven. I am thankful.
Take a look around you. Are you one of the people fortunate enough to have a bed to sleep on, to have food in your refrigerator, a place to call home? We all have our problems, everyone does, but when you are having one of those days when things seem to be going everyway but your way, take a look at the lady in the grocery line behind you, the person you pass on the sidewalk, the man at the post office. What's their story? Is that a mom buying her child's favorite food to try and get them to eat something after their chemo treatment this morning? Is that a person walking home after having a horrible day at work not sure how much longer he can take the stress? Is that a father mailing a letter to his son stationed in Iraq who won't be home for Christmas this year? Everyone has a story. I bet though that mom is thankful for the chemo that her child received this morning giving them a better shot at a longer life than someone 10 years ago. I bet that person passing you is just thankful for a having a job. I bet that father at the post office is thankful that his son is still alive to send the letter to. We all have reasons to be thankful. Take time this holiday season to really reflect on all the reasons you have to be thankful. Share your reasons with others. Let someone know that they give you a reason to be thankful and give someone else a reason to be thankful for you. We all have something to give, whether it be our friendship, a shoulder, a hand to hold, a hug to share, an ear to listen, we all have something. Wake up in the morning and think of one thing to do that day that could possibly put a smile on someone's face even if it is just by putting a smile on your face. They are contagious and don't cost a thing. I know personally that when I go through the drive through sometimes I will tell the cashier that I would like to pay for the car behind me. Sometimes I get crazy looks, sometimes I get questioned but I am sure that when that car pulls up to find out that some complete stranger paid for their breakfast or their lunch that their day gets just a little bit better. My simple act of kindness might inspire them to do the same for someone else. Pay it forward. Check your closets this winter and see how many extra coats you have that you don't wear, see how many outfits you have that you probably will never wear again or that don't fit you, look in your pantry and see how many cans of food that you bought on sale just because. Could you stand to let some go? Again, give someone else a reason to be thankful for you! I hope that everyone has a wonderful safe Thanksgiving and that in this time of giving that you remember to be Thankful.