Happy Belated Thanksgiving

I wanted to write this post on Thanksgiving, but amongst all the cooking and the eating, and then the ensuing food coma...well, let's just say the day got away from me. Thanksgiving does too often get overshadowed by the food and entertaining, and as a result I don't take enough time to reflect on things that I am so thankful for.

So after waking up on the day after Thanksgiving, and in seeing my dad clean up after the big dinner and then wake up early to cook us breakfast, I’m reminded of how grateful I am for these people I call "Mummy" and "Daddy". They have been a living model of sacrificial love to me. Parents, who despite having two grown kids, insist on doing anything and everything to make life as easy as possible for us.

God also knew how much I would need a woman like my mother in my life. I marvel at how she is able to empathize and relate with my struggles despite her vastly different upbringing. There have been many a times I have cried on her shoulder (still do when needed), and I thank the Lord that her words of Godly wisdom and prayers have pulled me through some tough days.

I am grateful for a younger brother who gives me advice that is wise beyond his years and my own.

I am thankful for my friends....for these people who make me laugh like no other, who have seen me through some of my darkest moments, who don't judge me when I stumble, who challenge me in my faith, who stand up for me when I can't stand for myself, who speak the truth even when I don't want to hear it, and who have been there far beyond what the word friendship calls for. Some of these friendships have lasted as long as decades, some only a few months, but both have impacted me beyond measure.

I'm grateful to see the joy of so many of my friends and family bring new lives into this world and embark on their new role as parents.....for the opportunity to hold and play with these little creatures and wonder at what the Lord has in store for them.

I am grateful for having a life where there is an over-abundance of everything and never truly being in "need" of anything.

I'm grateful that I have a job where I come across people from all different walks of life, to be able to hear their stories, and be touched by some of the things they share. A perfect example being yesterday: seeing a patient at the young age of 19 who had already lost vision in one eye due to a military accident, and is now eager to serve his country again as he prepares for a 7 month tour in Afghanistan.

I am thankful for the opportunities I've had to traverse the globe, for experiencing the beauty of majestic mountains and breathtaking sunrises in different corners of the earth.

I am truly blessed and thankful for all of these things, but if for some reason the Lord decides to take it all away or decides that it is enough.…..I know my heart should still be grateful because I will forever be called a child of God. I am most thankful for that security He has mercifully bestowed upon me.  Not only has the Lord guaranteed me life beyond this world, but he's also given me a "script" to live the most meaningful life while I am on this earth, all very neatly packaged in a book called the Bible.

It's a shame how often I do take these things for granted. I’m guilty of more often than not portraying a "woe is me" attitude rather than a "how grateful am I" demeanor. I am blessed beyond measure, and yes, sometimes it does take a holiday to put it all in perspective.