Give Thanks

Usually when I sit down to plan my weekly menu for our family I struggle the most with, "what should I make for dinner?" I often feel like we have the same meals over and over again. When I find a new and exciting recipe - my kids gag on it and beg me (with dramatic tears) never to make it again! I would be so overwhelmed and deeply stressed if someone asked me to host and prepare a Thanksgiving meal. I hope I never have to undertake that experience until my kids are much older and I become a much more seasoned chef.

But last night I realized that my complaints about not knowing what exactly to make each night have NO comparison to the young single mom with a small paycheck and two kids. She's wondering, "what do I have to make?" She's not even considering a big family Thanksgiving production. She's too preoccupied with keeping her house heated, her little boys warm in sweatshirts instead of the winter coats they need, navigating the lonliness of being a single parent and worrying about what she'll find in her pantry for dinner tonight.

Thanksgiving is something we should practice daily. A person once mentioned a quote that said, "What if you woke up tomorrow and only had left the things you thanked God for yesterday?" And I will be the first to admit that I take most of my life circumstances for granted. Our health, our family, our home, our many material posessions, our safety and our freedom - to name a few. When I prompt my kids to say THANK YOU to someone who has gifted them or done something for them, I think of what I should be doing with my Heavenly Father, for there is nothing in my life that He hasn't gifted me with. Especially Jesus Christ my personal Savior and my eternal salvation through Him.

Last night I experienced a picture of true thanks through soft spoken words, a gracious embrace, humble tears and a warm smile. My prayer is that I can give that kind of thanks everyday to my Father who has richly provided for all my needs.