Many families are getting together this day. Some are traveling long miles by car, through some very sketchy weather. Others are braving the crowded airports to fly to a distant city. Others may not have much family anymore, so they choose to have a "friends giving" with others of the same ilk. As a former pastor would often say, we are a relational people. We love to be with friends and loved ones on special days - and for many, Thanksgiving is one of the most special.
On many thanksgivings, in between the fire, the football, and (of course), the food - the one question comes to mind. What am I thankful for this year? As a kid, many of us would think of something tangible - like a bike or toy train set. Why? That is the way most kids think. But as an adult, we think about more cerebral things. Things which are not tangible yet are so very important to us. Love, friendship, grace, forgiveness, freedom, liberty and so on. Many things which are not common in this world today.
I am thankful this year that we had an election without the hate and animosity we have had in previous years. Not perfect, but much improved. I am thankful that in this country, as divided as it has become, we can settle our political differences with a ballot, and not a bullet. I am thankful that we have been taught not only to pray for our loved ones and friends, but also people who are not. We have been taught to love people where they are, even when they are unlovable. Why? That is what God does for us.
I am thankful for the endless bounty of good crops we had this year in Minnesota. After the drought from last year, to have a year where rain fell just at the right time, in the right amount, was a blessing to the farmers. Also, to those who partake in what the farmers produce.
I am thankful to live in the land of the free, because of the brave. I am mindful that as we sit down at our dinner tables today, tens of thousands of our countrymen and women are standing guard, at locations all over the Earth. I am mindful that some of them are at the tip of the spear, risking life and limb to keep us safe and free.
I am thankful for our first responders, who are never really off duty. They stand ready to assist us in the event of a fire, an accident, an illness, or whatever unexpected thing that life might throw at us. They work weekends and holidays and never complain about it. Why? It is their calling, and they chose this type of profession because of their unselfish nature.
What am I the most thankful for? I am thankful to God. The maker of everything we have and can see, from the very small to the very large. The maker of all things, visible and invisible. Most of all, I am thankful to God for His grace and forgiveness. For without that, nothing else would matter. Nothing at all.
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