Gratefulness and Thanksgiving

I am reading many essays and postings on Facebook and the newspaper regarding what people are thankful for.   I have been considering the past year, and there are several things that stand out.  Not everything that has happened to my family in the last year has been positive, but, in many ways I am thankful for the experience.

 

  • We found it necessary to leave our church of fourteen years.  This was hard because both of my children graduated from the parochial school associated with that church.  My late husband was buried there.  I was remarried there.  I thought I would be there forever.  Though the transition was hard, one year later, we are very happy with our new church, growing again in the Lord, and moving forward, enlarging our tents of ministry.
    • We left the comfort of many friends, but found a new family at this crossroads.
    • I am thankful for the mentors in my life who stood with me during this difficult transition.  Your encouragement and vision helped me move through the emotional wilderness.
  • I finally made the transition from educator (as in high school teacher/principal) to the role of Naturopath.  This has been a ten-year journey. The change necessitated leaving many friends and colleagues, but along the way, I have made new ones.
  • I am thankful for all the clients that have made tremendous health recoveries this year.  I never cease to be amazed and grateful when God shows up and does what only He can do.
  • My husband faced unemployment twice in the previous year, but God has shown Himself faithful yet again, and Hubby is blessed with steady work.
  • I am thankful for a spouse who supports the vocation I have embarked upon.  He considers himself ‘all in’, and I am grateful beyond words.
  • All of my children have faced challenges this year, but I am thankful that they have had the wisdom to overcome and soar in the face of difficulty.
  • I am blessed to have two wonderful parents, and their spouses.  They are all very healthy and continue to contribute in their communities.
  • I am thankful for being tired.  I have too many things I want to do, and some days the expenditure of emotional energy leaves me sapped.  However, at the end of the day, I reflect on the changes that have happened, the lives I have been privileged to touch.  I am grateful that my days are spent as catalyst for change.

This year has been filled with seasons of loss.  Friends have died; the economy has not been robust; the whole world seems to be in one crisis or another.  We watch those who have the leading roles on the world’s stage, and we wonder just what they are thinking.  While I watch in disbelief sometimes, I am thankful that I am not in their shoes.  I don’t know that my ideas, plans or programs would have been any better, or would have had any greater results.  I am thankful that my part is to pray and intercede.

As we approach 2012, I am filled with hope.  The New Year is fresh and clean on the horizon.  It is an opportunity for a ‘do-over.’  The things that we did not do so well in 2011, will come around again in 2012.  I trust we will be wiser, stronger, and more experienced this time.  I am grateful for ‘mercies that are new every morning.’

 

Happy Thanksgiving,

Until next time,

Polly