Even though I clutch my blankets and groan when the alarm rings each morning. Thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are those who are deaf.
Even though I keep my eyes tightly closed against the morning light as long as possible. Thank you, Lord, that I can see. There are many who are blind.
Even though I huddle in my bed and put off the physical effort of rising, thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedfast.
Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short, thank you, Lord, for my family. There are many who are lonely.
Even though our table never looks like the pictures in the magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced, thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry.
Even though the routine of my job is often monotonous. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no work.
Thank you, Lord, for the gift of life.
Thank God for dirty dishes;............They have a tale to tell......While other folks go hungry,....We're eating very well......With homes and health and happiness......We shouldn't want to fuss;.........For by this stack of evidence.....God's very good to us......
Unknown
Stood in line - at the checkout stand
Smiled back - at the groceryman
Picked out the turkey, - none likes been shown
For Thanksgiving Dinner, - the kids'll be home.
Stuffed the fowl - in the preheated oven
'Til he turns brown, - the way we're lov'n.
Stay all messages - and hold the phone,
It's Thanksgiving, - and the kids'll be home.
Put both leaves - in the dinning table.
Mom has set it, - as only she's able.
Knife is sharpened - on the whet stone.
It's Thanksgiving - and the kids'll be home.
There they are - at the front door.
Running and asking - what we got at the store.
"I like the breast, - I'd rather eat off the bone."
It's Thanksgiving - and the kids are home.
The kids' kids are here, - their picture we've shown.
You know the ones, - we ever brag on?
They'll go through the house - in each room roam.
It's Thanksgiving - and the kids are home.
Mom's spread the table, - Dad's cut up the bird.
Now's there's a comotion, - loudest we've heard.
Mom has gone - and shut the TV down.
Just as the Cowboys - made a First-Down.
So on it goes, - like a Hippodrone.
It's Thanksgiving - and the kids are home.
"Thank you Lord, - for this we eat,
but thank you most - because you're so sweet,
To look past our failings - and still go on.
And thanks for Thanksgiving, - 'cause the kids are home."
After dinner we'll discuss - politics and ball.
And who is and should be - in Fame's hall.
The ladies talk - and clean up the mess.
Discuss Christmas - and "Is that a new dress?"
Then after the food - has setteled down.
The men wonder - if there're pies around.
Get out the small plates - and the whipped-up foam,
It's Thanksgiving - and the kids are home.
Now Mom and I - have prop'd-up our feet,
With a ton of left-overs - to last a week.
The kids've left - and we are a little forlorn,
'Cause it's still Thanksgiving, - but the kids are gone.
G. Steven Andres
Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep. The leftovers beckoned -- the dark meat and white, but I fought the temptation with all of my might. Tossing and turning with anticipation, the thought of a snack became infatuation . So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door and gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore. I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes, pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes. I felt myself swelling so plump and so round, till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground. I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees .... happy eating to all -- pass the cranberries, please!
* You spill more food on you than the local soup kitchen dispenses * Paramedics bring in the Jaws of Life to pry you out of the EZ-Boy * Your after dinner moans are loud enough to signal Dr. Kevorkian * The "Gravy Boat" your wife set out was a real 12' boat! * The potatoes you used set off another famine in Ireland * You get grass stains on your bottom after a walk, but never sat down * Your "Big Elvis Super-Belt" won't even go around your waist * You receive a Sumo Wrestler application in your e-mail * You set off 3 earthquake seismographs on your morning jog Friday * Pricking your finger for cholesterol screening only yielded gravy * You have 5 TV sets side-by-side to catch all the football games * A guest quotes a Biblical passage from "The Feeding of the 5000" * That rash on your stomach turns out to be steering wheel burn * Your wife wears a life jacket at night in your water bed * Representatives from the Butterball Hall of Fame called twice * You consider gluttony as your patriotic duty * It looks like the left-overs are gonna last until Christmas * Your arms are too short to reach the keyboard & delete this
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow. Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character. Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons. Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference. It's easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. Grati tude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings. Author unknown.
Story
There was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military
in a little church. One day they came to the pastor and told him the
wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in
battle. The pastor said, "That's a wonderful gesture on your part.
He asked if it was ok to tell the congre- gation and they said that it
was. So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in
memory of the dead son.
On the way home from church, another couple were driving down the
highway when the father said to his wife, "Why don't we give a gift
because of our son?" And his wife said, "But our son didn't die in
any conflict! Our son is still alive!" Her husband replied, "That's
exactly my point! That's all the more reason we ought to give in
thanks to God."
Isn't it interesting that we most often give gifts to God in
memorial rather than in appreciation! It ought to be the exact
oppose! But it's the same way in our pray lives. We pray the best
and the most when troubles come our way, not when we are being
blessed.
- Mike Minix
Just this once, Lord, I want to come to you with no problems, but simply to say, Thank You.
For you forgiveness when I fail....For the sheer joy of sleep when I'm terribly tired....
For the silent strength of humility when pride overtakes me...
For the justice of your laws when men are cruel....
For the rememdies for sickness when I am ill....
For the simplicity of orderlines when I face confusion.....
for the assurance that you have made a place especially for me when I feel inadeqauate among my peers.....
For the joy of helping others when i see people in need....
For the earthly evidence of your will when I'm trying to find out what life is all about...
For the reality of your world, when I stray too far into fantasy...
For the rightness of reasonableness when I panic too quickly....
For the renewal in moments of when I'm dizzy being busy in a hectic world.
Thank you, Lord, for all these things. but most of all, thank you foryour abiding presence that makes every day I live a day of thanks.
Sandra felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease. During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer.
"Had she lost a child?-No--she has no idea what I'm feeling," Sandra shuddered. Thanksgiving?
"Thankful for what?" she wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an air bag that saved her life but took that of her child?
"Good afternoon, can I help you? " The flower shop clerk's approach startled her. "Sorry," said Jenny, "I just didn't want you to think I was ignoring you."
"I....I need an arrangement."
"For Thanksgiving?"
Sandra nodded.
"Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving Special."
Jenny saw Sandra's curiosity and continued. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories, that each arrangement insinuates a particular feeling. Are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving?"
"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted. "Sorry, but in the last five months, everything that could go wrong has."
Sandra regretted her outburst but was surprised when Jenny said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
The door's small bell suddenly rang.
"Barbara! Hi," Jenny said. She politely excused herself from Sandra and walked toward a small workroom. She quickly reappeared carrying a massive arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses.
Only, the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped, no flowers. "Want this in a box?" Jenny asked.
Sandra watched for Barbara's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems and no flowers! She waited for laughter, for someone to notice the absence of flowers atop the thorny stems, but neither woman did. "Yes, please. It's exquisite," said Barbara. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I'd not be so moved by its significance, but it's happening again. My family will love this one. Thanks."
Sandra stared. "Why so normal a conversation about so strange an arrangement? she wondered. "Ah, said Sandra, pointing. "That lady just left with, ah....."
"Yes?"
"Well, she had no flowers!"
"Right, I cut off the flowers."
"Off?"
"Off. Yep. That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."
"But, why do people pay for that?" In spite of herself she chuckled.
"Do you really want to know?"
"I couldn't leave this shop without knowing. I'd think about nothing else!"
"That might be good," said Jenny. "Well," she continued, "Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling very much like you feel today. She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she faced major surgery."
"Ouch!" said Sandra.
"That same year, I lost my husband. I assumed complete responsibility for the shop and for the first time, spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel."
"What did you do?"
"I learned to be thankful for thorns." Sandra's eyebrows lifted.
"Thorns?"
"I'm a Christian, Sandra. I've always thanked God for good things in life and I never thought to ask Him why good things happened to me? But, when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time to learn that dark times are important. I always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."
Sandra gasped. "A friend read that passage to me and I was furious! I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."
She started to ask Jenny to "go on" when the door's bell diverted their attention.
"Hey, Phil!" shouted Jenny as a balding, rotund man entered the shop.
She softly touched Sandra's arm and moved to welcome him.
He tucked her under his side for a warm hug. "I'm here for twelve thorny long-stemmed stems!" Phil laughed, heartily.
"I figured as much," said Jenny. "I've got them ready." She lifted a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerated cabinet.
"Beautiful," said Phil. "My wife will love them."
Sandra could not resist asking. "These are for your wife?"
Phil saw that Sandra's curiosity matched his when he first heard of a Thorn Bouquet. "Do you mind me asking, "Why thorns?"
"In fact, I'm glad you asked," he said. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but we slogged through, problem by rotten problem. We rescued our marriage -our love, really. Last year at Thanksgiving I stopped in here for flowers. I must have mentioned surviving a tough process because Jenny told me that for a long time she kept a vase of rose stems - stems!-as a reminder of what she learned from "thorny" times. That was good enough for me. I took home stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific thorny situation and give thanks for what the problem taught us. I'm pretty sure this stem review is becoming a tradition."
Phil paid Jenny, thanked her again and as he left, said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"
"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to Jenny.
"Well, my experience says that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, Sandra, Jesus wore a crown of thorns so that we might know His love. Do not resent thorns."
Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take twelve long-stemmed thorns, please."
"I hoped you would," Jenny said. "I'll have them ready in a minute. Then, every time you see them, remember to appreciate both good and hard times. We grow through both."
"Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing.Nothing but a pledge to work toward healing your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me."
Jenny handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach a card like this to your arrangement but maybe you'd like to read it first.
Go ahead, read it."
"My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn! I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses,but never once for my thorn. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear, teach me the value of my thorns.Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow"
George Matheson
Jenny said, "Happy Thanksgiving, Sandra," handing her the Special." "I look forward to our knowing each other better."
Sandra smiled. She turned, opened the door and walked toward hope.1
1 From Grace e-mail