Thanksgiving

I am grateful to God today!


When I awoke at 5:15 this morning, I immediately asked, “What am I grateful for today?”

I listed all the obvious blessings such as my healthy and happy family, my trustworthy and responsible teenagers, a safe place to live, an active practice that gives my worklife incredible meaning and purpose. I was grateful to be a citizen in a country where one can speak their mind and not fear being thrown into prison. I was grateful for the warm sunshine in the middle of the day and hours of peace to rest by at night. My list of things to be thankful for was very long.


But then I thought about the millions of people who were not experiencing many of the earthly blessings I posted on my mental list of reasons to give thanks. My heart went out to those struggling to pay the bills, desperate for a place to live, scraping by just to put food on the table, unable to find a job, and worried about their health. I even considered the question, “What if I was in their shoes today? Would I be as grateful?”


And that’s when I revised my gratitude list. I thought back over my life and could think of times when I was struggling, perhaps panicked about paying bills, looking for a place to live, afraid I wasn’t going to find a job, and in the depths of a health threat. Through it all, though, there was always my faith in God that got me through those challenging periods and brought me to a solution that resolved the threat and moved me ahead to something better.

And with that realization, my reasons for rejoicing lifted up to the highest of heights, above thankfulness for earthly comforts and pleasurable human relationships, to God.

Above all I was grateful to God, because when everything falls apart in the world, relationships self-destruct, money flees, dreams are crushed and human hopes fade, there is still our Father-Mother divine Love watching out for us, taking care of us, and ensuring our eternal spiritual life.

Things of the world flee, without a doubt, but the eternal love of God that sustains and maintains us without fail, is forever.

I’m grateful to God today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reasons to be grateful

It’s two days to Thanksgiving Day here in the US. It’s a holiday that reminds us to remember the things that we have to be grateful for, small and large, and there are many.


It’s been a tough year for millions of people struggling to make ends meet in a recessionary economy. When faced with mounting debt, unemployment, and looming rental payments, it can be hard to find reasons to be grateful. But there is always something good to notice and acknowledge no matter how dire circumstances appear.


Hidden behind the dashed hopes and crushed dreams of the human mind is God’s hand at work bringing one to a better place than occupied before. It takes humility to discern what God is doing, and faith to accept a new order for our life, but when we listen and follow, trusting the divine plan to unfold, we leave the old behind and walk toward the new and improved.


One of you sent in a link to an article titled, “Recession gave me a new opportunity.” The piece tells about people who have risen from the ashes of despair and loss to regain composure and new direction in life. It’s a nice report, and reminds us to look for the opportunity, see the possibility, not to get hung up on the loss, and move forward to the gain. I thought you might enjoy reading it.


Happy Thanksgiving.

Life is a journey not a destination

I spent this afternoon cooking with my wife in preparation for guests tomorrow for a family get-together on Thanksgiving Day. It was a very enjoyable time, a peaceful time of calm and relaxation while we cut and chopped and mixed and stirred.

Somewhere between the herb dinner rolls rising in the oven and the new Butter Pecan ice cream pumpkin pie recipe I was deciphering, I realized Thanksgiving Day had already begun. Preparing the feast was half the fun of having the feast.

Now I realize some people don’t have time to spend Wednesday afternoon cooking, and they are very grateful for someone else able to do the job. That’s quite understandable. But the larger lesson I dwelt on was seeing the event of Thanksgiving meal as much more than one hour spent at a table eating and talking with friends. It’s all the before, during and after that constitute the event. And each moment of the preparation, staging, happening, and clean up should be just as enjoyable as any other. There need be no strain or stress. It’s all about love, sharing love, participating in love and rejoicing in love. The preparation, the experience and the afterglow can all have equal goodness associated with them.

Life is not a destination, but a journey, I agreed. Jesus Christ was clear on living in the goodness of God now. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” he preached. How close is your hand? It’s attached. It can’t be any closer.

The goodness of Life is not something we work toward, like a goal we have to reach. It’s a present fact of our being.

I hope you enjoy your journey as you celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Whether celebrating at-one with God at a table with your thoughts, or with many people around too, may your every moment be filled with love and peace.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for friends

The following story came through my email from a friend yesterday. I believe I’ve read it in one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul, series books. Anyway, it’s heart-warmer.

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books.

I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends the next afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.

As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!"

There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.

I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends.

He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.

I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!"

He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak

Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.

Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days.

I could see that he was nervous about his speech.

So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.

"Thanks," he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began, "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach…but mostly your friends...

“I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.

“I am going to tell you a story.”

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met.

He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.

He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.

He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.

"Thankfully, I was saved.

My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.

I saw his mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.

Not until that moment did I realize its depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life.

God puts us all in each others’ lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God at work in others.

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."

Turkey humor

A chuckler...

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift.

The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior." John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.

As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

What are you grateful for?

I love Thanksgiving time. It reminds me to stop what I'm doing and be extra grateful for all the blessings that God has to offer.

I shared some of the things I'm grateful for this year in a blog posting, "Gratitude for spiritual awakenings," on tmcyouth.com that went up yesterday.

Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Gratitude

Enjoyed a nice article titled, “Gratitude: A life difference,” by Benjamin Devey. He wrote in part:

“Gratitude unburdens our spirit from negative emotions and gives room for charity in our hearts. It opens the windows of heaven to work miracles in our lives. It shines light in our caring for others.”

In the spirit of generous giving and gracious receiving that should be a hallmark of this holiday season, we can never overdo gratitude.

We each have much to be grateful for, probably more than we’ve noticed recently.

Thanksgiving more than a holiday

Thanksgiving is more than an annual holiday. It’s a way of life practiced more frequently than we may realize.

Have you ever avoided a near miss accident on the highway, caught your breath, looked up to the sky and said “Thank you?” Have you ever feared rejection by another but received acceptance, and said “Thank you” to an unseen presence about you? Have you ever been stranded in such a perilous circumstance that you thought there was no way out, but found a way out, and then paused to say “Thank you” to an invisible guiding hand?

If you think about it, there are probably countless times over the last year when you stopped to say “Thank you” to a power above yourself.

I know there are many times I’ve felt grateful, and knew the blessings I was witnessing came through a power not my own.

When my son and I came out of a car accident completely untouched last summer, I was grateful beyond words, and I knew I owed the hand of divine Providence a debt for the protection.

Giving thanks is an expression of spirituality. It is our true spiritual self coming out for all to see, including ourselves.

Selfishness, indifference, apathy, ego, self-centeredness are evil and lack the grace of gratitude. But they are not spiritual either, and are alien to our God-given individuality. We want nothing to do with them. They shrink in upon themselves and wither into an ugly paltry miniscule whimper of error that vaporizes into nothingness.

It’s nice to have an annual holiday to remind us of the value and importance of giving thanks. It’s Thanksgiving Day in the USA today. And my family and I will talk about all the things we have to be grateful for this year. But above all, I find great peace in knowing thanksgiving is not a rite imposed upon us by a political government. Giving thanks has been bred into our being by God Himself, and is a natural and normal practice for us as divine offspring.

We give thanks because we want to, not because we have to.

Enjoy your opportunity to give thanks today. The good you see and acknowledge opens the door for more to come.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10

Make a joyful noise

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord he is God;
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100