Simply thankful...

While pondering over what Thanksgiving means to me and trying to come up with a decent article to write on the holiday, I decided to skip the quest for large and colorful expressions that would dazzle and amaze the reader’s eye. Instead, I went the simple route. For the simple route lends itself to be more candid in offering a glimpse into one’s life. So with that said, here are a few of the things that I’m thankful for:

- God, of course. God makes all the rest possible.
- My family and the many quirks that each of us have.
- My church, not necessarily the structure, but the people that make up the building.
- My home and the wonderful way it welcomes me. Dorothy was right, “There’s no place like home.”
- My friends who support me even when I know I’ve not been the best of one.
- Laughter and its ability to cause me to forget burdens and heartache.
- Sadness…without it, I would lose sight. With it, I know who to turn to.
- Education and its mission to make me aware that there’s so much more to learn.
- Silence and reflection and all that it can encompass. “Be still and now that I am the LORD your God.”
- I Love You…three little words that when said at the right time, can make the world stop in its tracks.
- Food…enough said!
- The youth of my church who, in their own ways, never let me forget that they love me, even when I’m not in the best of moods.
- Diet Dr. Pepper
- Coffee, with a little cream and two packets of Splenda, and its capability to get me going.
- My son’s giggle from his hiding place behind the chair in the living room when I return home of an evening. It gives him away every time.
- My wife and everything about her.
- Memories, both good and not so good. They tend to make me a stronger person.
- Christmas, from one end to the other.
- Second chances. They allow you to improve upon the mess you’ve made, even when you think you’ve ruined some of the things you’re thankful for.
- Life as whole, and the experiences and people I meet along the way.