Thanksgiving

Dearest Ones,

A woman boarded a bus. Every seat was filled. She was tired and carried several packages. Noticing her, a man stood up and graciously offered his seat. The woman was so shocked she fainted. After she revived, she looked up at the man who had relinquished his seat and said, "Thank you." The man promptly fainted. The point of this humorous story is that many people don't bother saying, "thank-you" anymore. This is sad because thankfulness is good for the soul. When we are thankful, we recognize that food, a home and all other necessities come to us because of the goodness of God. Thankfulness turns our hearts toward heaven. This morning I made a list of my blessings, one for each letter of the alphabet. Here's what I came up with....
A - Angels, they surprise me all day long.
B - Babies are God's miracles, filling the world with love.
C - Christmas, when we welcome God to the world.
D - Death, the sweetest thought in life - it's going home to God.
E - Email, such a good way to receive prayers and encouragement.
F - Friends & Family, they touch my life and make it beautiful.
G - Giving, it is the key to happiness.
H - Hope, gives me a reason to get up in the morning.
I - Icicles, they sparkle in the sun, just as we do in God's light.
J - Joy, "Your Joy no one can take from you."
K - Know, I Know God loves me.
L - Love, gifts of Love arrive when least expected.
M -Mother Mary, leads me to Jesus and helps me to rise above my troubles.
N - Never, God will Never give us more than we can handle.
O - Okay, everything God made is Okay.
P - Possible, "All things are Possible with God."
Q - Quietly, Jesus comes to us quietly at Christmas.
R - Rosary, unites me with the life of Jesus.
S - Soul, my soul lasts forever.
T - Trials, they make me stronger.
U - U.S. the land where I am free to practice my faith.
V - Visit, "I was sick and you visited Me."
W - Worry, don't do it because it doesn't do any good.
X - X-ray, I'm thankful I don't need one.
Y - Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not yet here, I have only the present.
Z - Zoo, God's playground.

You may enjoy doing this as a family on Thanksgiving or while riding in the car. Take turns naming something for which you are grateful. What do you think would happen if each of us suddenly became a more thankful person? Would the world be changed? It makes a world of difference when people are thankful. No more fighting, hatred, greed, gossip, unkindness or complaining. All of us like to be appreciated, all of us like to be thanked, and no one likes to be taken for granted. That's why parents teach their children to be thankful.. - at the supper table - during birthday parties - during visits with grandparents - and just about anytime they receive something It is a great thing to teach kids to say please and thank you, it helps them out in the world. "Give thanks to God at all times and for everything." (1 Thess. Ch 5:18) The followers of Jesus rejoiced even when they were being persecuted. It's easy to say thank you when all is well, but how about when things go wrong? It's hard to say thanks then, but the Bible says, "Give thanks for everything." Do you thank God just to make Him happy? Doesn't he already have everything? Yes, He does, but God wants us to be thankful because it makes us happy! There are people who find something to be thankful for, no matter what. A famous man, Matthew Henry, was once robbed and lost all of his money. He wrote this in his diary: "Let me be thankful, first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my money, they didn't take my life; third, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed." I thought this was very well put. The more you look for blessings, the more you discover them. It's kind of fun to see if you can turn a "bummer" into a "blessing." Let's make this Thanksgiving more than just a good turkey dinner. I know some folks who dread holidays when their families get together because of selfishness, back-biting and put-downs. People are more hungry for love and appreciation than for food. A grateful heart is a happy heart - it doesn't have room for unkindness.

Hugs and best wishes for a Happy thanksgiving,
Sister Francelle