A Grateful Time

I guess it's getting to be that time of year. Fall is coming in a few days, and the holiday season window dressing has already started. Between Halloween and New Year's is my favorite time of year: Thanksgiving and Christmas. I don't celebrate Halloween, and New Year's eve is usually spent in church among friends, but the time in between is a time of reflection and celebration. I love it.

I like to prepare for Thanksgiving by meditating on my blessings. I try to make a list of what I am thankful for. The list gets pretty long when you count the little blessings along with the major ones. Eyesight. Ability to feed myself. My husband. My kids. My memory. Living in America. Ten fingers that still work. Cats. Sisters. Brothers. The internet. Snail mail. And on and on, big and little, all blessings to be enjoyed (even if sometimes they can annoy!) Then on T-day my family gets together and before we pray the blessing on the food we all share what we are grateful for (yeah, complete with eye-rolling from the teenagers.) Corny? Yes. But I think it's essential. Although some of us just give thanks to the air (cosmos, universe, whatever) there are others of us who are very specific about the To Whom we are saying thanks. And that would be God.

Whenever I'm down in a major way I remember to count my blessings and give thanks. The biggest blessing in my life is the gift of Jesus, so Christmas is the best part of this time of year for me. The whole Christmas observance is about the gift of Jesus here on Earth, proof of God's love for us. To think that He gave us His Son, to live and die and live again so we can live forever with Him. I can't imagine sending my only son, my only child, to a place knowing he would die for people who don't know him or even hate him. To be tortured and shamed, for those who might never appreciate it? Such is the love of God for us. Even knowing He would live again...I know I couldn't do it. But this was the only way, and God's love made it possible. How can I not love Him in return?

I guess you can see why I love Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's all one big Thank You to God, for all He is and all He's done, all He's going to do.