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This is the traditional month of Thanksgiving.

I have seen the hurt in people around us that have lost jobs, homes, cars and perhaps the feeling that they have lost everything. I am so thankful that I have wonderful children who, by the Grace of God are caring and compassionate human beings. I have joked before that my 11 year old son would be a juvenile delinquent if it wasn't for the Grace and Mercy of God. This really isn't a joke my friends, I am truly thankful that through prayer and thanksgiving, my children are happy and healthy.

We have been through much as a family, I have raised them over the past 11 years after the death of their father, (and my husband). I will tell you the truth, the first year when I had Thanksgiving baskets of food left on my door step and then Christmas presents left for the kids -I had no idea who had left them but I felt they should have been left for someone else. I have always felt that, even at the worst of times, we still had it so much better than many people. We have never been without a meal (even if it was maccaroni and cheese with hot dogs) and my children have never gone without nice clothes to wear (the first Saturday of the month everything is half off at Goodwill!).

The first year after Tracy died I mentally slept through the holidays. Beginning the next year I knew we had to do something different or I wouldn't surrvive. My children had everything they needed -maybe not everything they ever wanted, but certainly everything they needed. So, we began looking for families that had needs. Each year we had a family that we could buy for and I always asked that they not be anonymous as I wanted the kids to see why they were giving.

One year the family that we were going to give to on Christmas Eve lived in one of the housing projects in Chattanooga. I was concerned because I had just purchased a brand new car and driving this car into the housing projects could appear austentacious, as if I had more than they and were showing off. This was not what I intended to do so I began to pray, and my brand new car broke down that day. I had to go to a local rental car establishment and the only car they had on Christmas Eve was an old beat down Ford Fairlane. PERFECT! We arrived about 6pm with the trunk loaded down, pies and goodies and oh, the presents! The very next morning we were going to travel to Florida to have Christmas with my mom and sister so we had no tree and nothing to go under it. Waking up to a very quiet household, Christmas morning with nothing decorated, no tree and not one present was very humbling. The kids and I just sat on the couch and, looking around I said, "This is what it would have looked like for that family." To this day my daughter, now almost 20 years old, remembers this day.

Living a life of thankfulness does not only include the month of November. This is just a time we take out of the year to acknowledge our thankfulness in a public way. Something I hope I do every day. I want to live a life giving thanks. I want, even in the times of despair and sadness to say, 'Thank you Lord that I am able to go through this and thank you for what you are doing and going to do.' That the despair would get less attention and looking up to the Father would become more of a habit. The other morning my daughter Jordan woke up to a flat tire. I immediately thanked God for what ever it was He kept her from on this morning. In the Bible Paul says, "Count it all joy!" Really? Even when life appears crappy? Even when I can't pay my rent? Even when my kids can't have new shoes? Yes, really. "Count it all JOY!" And then pretend it's an adventure, because that's really all it is. An adventure. We are still living and breathing and loving and learning and for this, I am thankful.
 


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