This is a difficult Thanksgiving season for me. Gratitude has come far easier most years. It has proven strenuous to see the trees in the midst of the woods—it is hard to pick out the good and really great from all the perceived loss and pain.

But it’s Thanksgiving and I am choosing to be grateful. Many things are small but that is what makes them the most special to me. It is a season of life where I do not need or want very many big things—just the small things that make life worth living.

Tonight I am grateful for:

• Best chats with my sisters
• Elisabeth coming home and getting to have good conversations with her last night
• Last night’s tomato soup—comfort food
• The black and white cat with the beautiful green eyes at the shelter yesterday. He ran up to his cage door to see me. Heart hug.
• The opportunity to enjoy the blue and purple city decorations and lights from the walk to and from the downtown church office.
• The hundreds of geese on the frozen lake just a few days ago. I’ll remember that picture forever.
• Movie nights with the family. Thankful to have gotten to watch the poignant, sorrowful movie, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”, with my family last Sunday.
• Even though my bestest boys are gone, Santiago, Fernando, Tristan, Pistachio, Buckets, Rip, and Canta still make me smile.
• Harvard and Joseph—old and young but I love them deeply.
• The Bethlehem craft sale last Friday night…so many rainbows of colors. It was every sensory-driven person’s ultimate dream—softness, brilliant colors and designs, airy feather ornaments. So much to touch and the chance to experience life through the senses.
• The Bethlehem bookstore—my, how I’d missed just being among all those books.
• Bethlehem itself—even though it wasn’t a Sunday service, my heart was home.
• All the people—past and present—who have influenced my life. I am so grateful.
• Hillsong
• Jesus. From Him and for Him are all things and in Him all things are held together. Thankful that nothing can separate me from His deep love—who loved me 2000+ years ago and loves me still.

And that is why I can and will be thankful tonight and tomorrow and this year. I have been blessed with immeasurably more in Jesus than I ever dreamed possible. And I get to be here. So grateful to still be experiencing life.

Thank-You, Jesus.