On Thursday we will stuff ourselves with turkey, ham, dressing, etc., and don’t forget the pies.  We need to thank God  for all the bounty that is before us.  Hey, we should do this every day.  How many of us still thank God for our meal?  Do you thank Him when you get the parking place in front of Walmart?  Thanksgiving should not be a one day event.

It is nice to remember the pilgrims and Indians and forests, etc., but what we really need to be thankful for are the lives of our people on the front lines…those who protect us, those who assist us in emergencies, and those who keep our country safe.  Be thankful, too, for your parents and grandparents and all the family that has struggled and have helped you get where you are today.

I am thankful for teachers who took their time with me at school; many times they explained things twice so I could understand.  I am thankful that they set a good example for me and others who followed in their footsteps.  I am thankful that God gave me the gift of teaching and all the other gifts, too.

Be thankful for the little things that we forget are so important to us:  being able to see, to smell, to taste food, to walk, to talk, to write, to read, to comprehend, to make friends, to dance, to love, to forgive, to have fun, to pray, to hug, to kiss, to listen to music, to dream, to have compassion, to smile, to cry, to cheer,  etc. .  As we get older, these things are not always possible,  Be thankful for what you can still do.

I am so thankful to God that He made a way for us to reconcile ourselves to Him,  We do not have to dread our future because Jesus paid for our sins with His death.  I am grateful for the Holy Spirit living within me and getting me through each day.

Having the love of friends  and family is also way up there in the gratitude  department.  Every year during these holidays I look around at all the people near me who have no one left to love them; no family or relatives at all.  What they do have are other people who sit alone at dinner every day…a reminder that we are not alone.  What is sad is the fact that many do have family, but they have no time to visit or to care.

It has been two years since I lost my Frankie.  I am thankful that I met him and we loved each other for 12 years.  What a joy that time was!  I am thankful for the good times and the bad times when I learned a valuable lesson or two.  I am thankful for my children who have given me purpose in life.  I could write a book about what God has done for me.  Oh, wait!  I already wrote that book:  Grace for Gypsy Girls:  A Survival Memoir.

God gave me such wonderful gifts all my life.  I hope I have made him smile and say, “Good job, Annie.  You have made me proud.”