Thanksgiving

What a great day it has been today. Thanksgiving. Giving thanks. Today could be described with five words: fun, family, food, football, and faith. We spent the day at Jennifer's mom and dad's house along with Jennifer's sister, Kimberly and her boyfriend Jo, along with my dad and my crew of six. There was the traditional turkey and dressing with all the trimmings as well as pumpkin and chocolate pies for dessert. There was also the traditional watching of football games galore today, including two resounding victories by the Cowboys and the Longhorns! There was also the non-traditional activities of riding go-carts & taking tractor rides around the yard as well as a four-inning family-friendly game of baseball. After an overcast start to the day, the sun came out and shone brightly (in answer to our prayers this morning) and splashed our game with its presence and warmth. This day started off right with Jennifer and I having our personal quiet time with God, including time praying together. It was during that time that God reminded us in a fresh way about the meaning and importance of gratitude. I'd like to share a couple of excerpts from a book I'm reading entitled Every Day Deserves A Chance by Max Lucado. From the chapter entitled "Gratitude for Ungrateful Days", here's some good food for thought on a day when you've probably had your fill of food. Chew on this:

"Gratitude is the firstborn child of grace, the appropriate response of the blessed." (We are the blessed indeed!).

"God notices the grateful heart. Why? Does he have an ego problem? No. But we do. Gratitude lifts our eyes off the things we lack so we might see the blessings we possess."

One final thought: Today is the one-year anniversary of the adoption of our youngest child, Bethany. She is a beautiful, wonderful blessing, as are Brandon, Bradley, & Brenna. Thank you God for Thanksgiving. I am overflowing with gratefulness. posted by John (and I'm sure there will be pictures added after we return home).