Thursday Morning Thankfulness

This holiday season has really snuck up on me. My husband Danny and I didn’t even realize Thanksgiving is next week until two days ago! (Is snuck even a word?) Anyway, having been in retail for the last 2 decades, this is the first holiday season in a long time that I haven’t worked in a store. The company I spent the last 10 years with went out of business back in May. So, for 20 plus holiday seasons, my product planner, and the massive amounts of Christmas merchandise rolling through the back door at work, have told me when the holidays are approaching. Of course, when the overhead music changed to Christmas tunes, well, that was my cue that the countdown was on!

Today, I’m thinking about all of this during my morning routine that consists of devotions, cleaning, and coffee drinking. I sit down to take a break-- um yeah, because I’m working so hard! I turn on my t.v. expecting to start changing channels. But a commercial catches my attention and I actually watch it.

As I’m watching, my reaction surprises me. I can get emotional and thankful when it comes to family and friends, and of course my Jesus. When I say my Jesus, I mean any and all things in my walk with my Lord and Savior. But today, I’m sitting here, and a Christmas Salvation Army commercial airs. It’s about a little boy who only wants a red car for Christmas, but his daddy can’t get it for him--and mind you, it’s animated, and I get emotional. It’s not just this commercial. When the Astros won the World Series, I saw a picture online of a family in their home with no sheet-rock, no furniture and their concrete floor. They were sitting on fold out chairs in their stripped-down living room, watching their tv, cheering on the Astros! I got emotional! I have also seen posts where there are so many pets in shelters looking for families, and I get emotional! Like, choked up emotional! And it goes on and on!

Now, even though the animal shelter pics might choke me up on any given day, c’mon, the Astros wouldn’t normally bring a tear to my eye. Danny and I were at game 4 of the 2005 World Series where they were swept and not a tear did we shed---there’s no crying in baseball! I know a lot of this overflowing emotion has to do with a grateful, tender heart, and Hurricane Harvey. Although we were displaced for almost a month, thank God, we came home to only some minor things. But, as I reflect on that time away from home, I know my feelings NOW have a lot to do with how my heart was being molded THEN. I was constantly calling for my Lord. And He was always there. During that time, my son Justin was stranded out of town because of the massive flooding and couldn’t get to us. We would talk several times a day, and he so much wanted to be with us. He wanted to be wherever we were, no matter how bad it looked—together. That’s how I felt about being in the presence of my Lord.

As Thanksgiving approaches, and then Christmas, I’m trying to make a real effort to make sure I tell the people who I care about how thankful I am for them. The things I learned about myself and my community during Harvey are too precious and came at too high of a price for me to forget, or worse, ignore. I know this world is hard. I know that so much I see can make me jaded if I allow it. But, I also know, this: but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 ESV) I know that “for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV). All of this means he loved me first—he loved me before I loved him! I knew these things before, but maybe, sometimes, I forget just how huge that is! So… as I’m looking forward to the next few weeks, I’m thankful in a different way this year—it’s deeper. It’s being appreciative and grateful layered in with compassion---for my family, my relationships, and people and experiences. And for you! It was a little scary starting this personal blog, putting myself out there. But you have truly blessed me, and I am so thankful for you who have taken precious time out of your day to read and get to know me. You have put a smile on my face, and as I wish you and yours a most blessed Thanksgiving, may I leave you with this: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26 ESV)