favorite holiday

Everyone has their favorite holiday. Mine happens to be Thanksgiving (Valentine's Day runs really close!). While everyone seems to be getting out their Christmas decorations already, I can only put up a tree and nothing else until the day after Thanksgiving. I want to embrace Thanksgiving Day for all that it is.

I love the fact that everyone gathers together to celebrate all the blessing a year has brought to them. No pressure of gifts, no overstimulated children, no seasonal exhaustion....only bellies full of food and laughter...and minds full of memories...and people gathered together with a heart full of gratitude.

The other day, a very special young lady delivered a bundle of thankfulness to my heart. A precious life by the name of Lyric. So much promise for a wonderful future for this little darling. I am thankful that God has allowed me to be a part in shaping and molding the heart of this princess.

Holding baby Lyric reminds me of another little baby. This little one's future will be quite different from the one that will be offered to Lyric. However, I am thankful for the comfort of knowing that the same opportunity is available for both of them to come to know the true source of thankfulness. May they both come to know Christ as their personal Savior. How thankful I am to be a part of God's kingdom work in reaching out to children, even in Haiti.

Sometimes we get so busy in every day life that we forget about all the blessings that are right in front of us. One blessing that we take for granted is that of friendship. This time of the year makes me stop and say, "Thank you, God! I love the friend that You gave me!" How thankful I am to have a friend who knows every dark corner of my heart and yet still chooses to love me.

Another group we often take for granted is our family. They see us at our best and our worst but still only choose to see the potential in one another. How thankful I am for the love that holds a family together. Storms come, but the safety and peace of our God keep us afloat. Family sticks together.

So, as you gather around your table this year. Don't just dig in and walk away with a stuffed stomach. Walk away from that table with a stomach full of great food and a heart full of overflowing gratitude and love for a year's worth of blessings.

Ultimately, I am most thankful for a Savior who loves me no matter what. There is nothing I can do to separate His love from me. I am His and He is mine. Psalm 118:1, "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!"