Many of us will miss the point today. We'll watch parades and football and stuff ourselves with good food, sleep, and do it again. Sure, we'll pray some generic prayer thanking God for all the blessings we have received, but will we mean it? How many of us really appreciate all that we have? I know I sometimes miss the mark in this area. I know I'm not nearly as grateful for all the blessings I have as I should be. My life has been so full of blessings for so long that I have become a little spoiled. I have taken too many things for granted.
I am thankful for:
- My family. This includes my wife and children. My parents, my sister, and in-laws, my nieces and nephews, my cousins, second cousins, and so on. I come from a Cuban family, so everyone is my cousin. If I were to name them individually it would be like publishing the yellow pages.
- My health. Talk about taking things for granted. I don't take care of myself the way I should and yet this beat-up, overweight body of mine keeps ticking.
- My friends. I have been blessed with so many wonderful friends. Some I've known since way back when, and some have come along more recently, all are loved and appreciated.
- My country. I live in the greatest country in the history of the world. I know we are told by too many in Washington and the media that we are fat, lazy, greedy, and everything under the sun, but there has never been a place like this one. There has never been a country that offers so much freedom and opportunity. We have forgotten to be thankful for it. I would be remiss if I didn't express my gratitude for the men and women who make it all possible: the troops. They fight so we don't have to. They are away from their families so that today and every day we can enjoy ours. They are truly the best among us. Please include them in your prayers tonight.
- God. Because there can be nothing if not by His grace. He is the reason the sun comes up and he is the reason you are so marvelously complex. He is the reason for the miracles we witness every day. Don't believe there are miracles happening in the world? Look around. How else do you explain the complexity of your mind or the beauty of clouds floating in the sky? How else do you explain the birds of the air or the fish of the sea? How else do you explain you?
So take a little time to reflect, not just today, but every day. Count your blessings, not your blemishes. Remember that the Bible teaches us that not all things are good, but all things work together for good for those who believe.
Have a blessed, happy Thanksgiving. God bless you. And, uh, save me some stuffing, I may stop by later.
- Adolfo
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