My Thanksgiving Meditations

THANKSGIVING CAN BE.....

• An acknowledgement of something done for you, as in a thank-you note, email or phone call.
• An emotional response for something good, a warm fuzzy feeling, as in the 'what are you thankful for?' responses around a Thanksgiving dinner table.
• An outlook on life as in finding the good in everything, 24/7, 365 days a year.
• Encouraging to those around you, as in the motivational stories and movies and how they touch you as you see of people struggling and yet finding reasons for thanks.
• The path to contentment, as in focusing on what you have to give thanks for as opposed to what you don't.
• A tangible note or verbal message to someone, which in turn encourages them. As in Jesus healing 10 lepers and only one returning to verbally thank him. The others may have been heart thankful but in the expression of it, thankfulness became stronger and blessed both Jesus and the healed man.
• A soul-soaked attitude, as in an 80-something woman I know who worked through ovarian cancer this year with thanksgiving in her heart.
• The outpouring of your heart in response to mercy shown you. As in someone who loves you unconditionally, or someone who loved you enough to die for you to redeem you.
• Tied with an invisible string to Peace. As in both tied back to contentment.
• A choice, as opposed to bitterness, striving and grasping.
• The opposite of expectation. Expecting nothing paves the way to be surprised by God, opens our eyes and promotes great thankfulness.
• An expression of hope, wrenched from and through pain. A different way of looking through physical or emotional pain to be offered up as our service of worship.
• A commandment of God, for our own best interests.
• A positive trait, as in a reflection of God and light.

May we all be people with a heart of Thanksgiving, Amen.