Thanksgiving. A simple concept really - giving thanks for all we have.
I wonder what sets aside this day as 'special'? Isn't every day a day of thanksgiving? At least it should be.
And yet, we as humans 'forget.' The Sea of Forgetfulness is perhaps sailed more often than the Sea of Gratitude. It's a shame really. We have so much here in this country that millions on the planet will never have. But wherever we turn there is someone bemoaning his/her misfortune. Maybe it's as simple as we can't be pleased no matter what we do or have.
The more we have, the more we feel we are owed. What is that? Greed, I suppose. The more we own, the more we want. It's never ending.
Maybe if we took an inventory... an honest inventory... we would recoil from our findings of greed and selfishness. But then who is to say? Some people have no feelings other than that. I for one need to keep my desires in check. Long ago I was told to live within my means. That way I could be happy with things as they are. Even so, I forget too and get caught up in worldly issues.
Yes perhaps an inventory is in order. Let me look into that...
I am grateful for the 120 million light receptors known as rods and cones in my eyes. With them I am able to see the beauty of a sunset, the dew on the roses and the smile on a baby's face. So many are blind and would wish to see these things or to gaze into heavens on a star-filled night.
I am grateful for the 15,400 hair cilia in my ears which act as sound receptors and allow me to hear the call of the wolf, music of any variety I am pleased to listen to and the sound of the words "I love you" from those who care to say it to me. The deaf will never hear these things or the sound of water rushing over a waterfall.
I am grateful for the 10,000 taste buds and 25 million olfactory receptors which aid me in the ability to taste and smell. I can enjoy myriad delicacies and know the scent of the jasmine as I travel through my day. So many have lost these abilities due to accidents or medical conditions. How they would love to taste the simplicity of home-baked breads or pies and smell the perfume of the lilac bushes.
I am grateful for the largest organ in my body - the skin - which weighs approximately six pounds and covers over 20 square feet. Its millions of touch receptors protect me from being burned or things which are too cold. I can feel the gentle touch of a hand on my shoulder and the wind passing by me on a summer's day. Those paralyzed among us would gladly love to feel anything but nothing.
The list goes on...
I am grateful for things I cannot see mostly. For the heart which beats inside me pumping gallons of oxygen-filled blood to my every cell, hour after hour, day after day, year after year for the length of my entire life.
And I'm grateful for the heart which lets me know I can feel love and pain and happiness and disappointment. Yes, all those feelings. It lets me know I am alive and as long as I am alive there is hope in this world.
I am grateful for my beliefs. They shape who I am, build character and help me to strive beyond what I believe I can be. Without them I would be as the walking dead, void of anything of value.
I am grateful for the mind I possess. It allows me to make choices. I may not always make the right ones but it's exhilarating to know they are there. So many in this world have no choice in anything, mind or no mind. They are prisoners of circumstance which depend on where they were born. The world isn't always just.
I am grateful for my conscience. It lets me know right away if I have done something wrong and allows me to make amends for wrongs. Without it I would be no better than the animals.
And although it appears last here, I am grateful for the God of my life. He is first in everything. Without Him I was nothing. And then on a day when I was looking for nothing in particular, He and His Grace filled my life. It's funny how that happened. I had given up on Him long before. It just goes to show you that He never gives up on us. Because there I was standing at the door of death (literally), and He snatched me up and as much as said, "Hey! I'm not done with you yet!"
And done He was not! Years later, here I am. I sometimes stumble and falter. But in each day I can find something to be grateful for even if it is as simple as being alive. Considering the alternative, I think that's pretty great.
So have yourself a Happy Thanksgiving and tell God why you are grateful. I'd bet He has been waiting to hear from you.
Love you all...
