Giving Thanks for the Large and the Small


Yes, oh yes, we've reached Thanksgiving day and the feasting and gathering it brings!  Happy Thanksgiving!

I, for one, have much to be grateful for this year.  Think about how long our lists would be if we counted everything we could give thanks for.  Family and friends!  Health and mobility!  Clean water and food security!  Shelter and warmth!  The ability to work!  Safety and religious freedom!  These are such big-ticket items.  Thank you, God, for meeting these needs.

It's good to pause and give thanks for major blessings.  They're easy to take for granted, which is tragic, because not everyone has them, which also is tragic.

But I like to acknowledge the little things I'm grateful for, too.  Small comforts, like cozy blankets and warm socks.  I'm grateful for the evenings this semester when Joel and I have watched The Office after the kids have gone to bed, and how my children have been so pleasant the past few days, and how I've recently had time to read a few good books.  I'm grateful for my neighbor who loaned me an egg, and for another who loaned me graham crackers, and yet another who shared homemade pierogies with my family.  (I have nice neighbors.)

Then, when I went shopping, I was grateful I remembered everything on my grocery list, including eggs and graham crackers, so I didn't need to return to the store.  Come to think of it, I'm grateful that I have a store.  I've read Little House on the Prairie, after all, and I have the lingering suspicion that I'm not as patient or industrious of a person as Ma.

I'm also grateful that my pie crust turned out well this year.  That's my handiwork right there, peeps.


Yes, there's so much to be thankful for.

Whether you're spending this year's Thanksgiving with a large crowd, a small gathering, or even by yourself, I hope you'll discover that your list is long, too.  Even if things go wrong -- if your turkey is dry, or your guests are challenging, or your travels are inconvenient, or your meal prep is hectic --  I hope you find brief windows today to still give thanks for all the things that are going right.

And if there are deep hurts or empty chairs this year, my prayer is that joy returns and comfort fills those painful nooks and crannies.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, my dear friends and readers! 

I give thanks for you today, too.

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