What I Am Thankful For - 2016 Edition

Happy Thanksgiving! As I write this, Thanksgiving is tomorrow, although when it is for you depends on when you are reading this. So I hope you have a good Thanksgiving, are having a good Thanksgiving, or had a good Thanksgiving, depending on your reading circumstances.

Around this time of year, and maybe even for the entire month, people make lists and post them online in various places of what they are thankful for. Those are always interesting to read. Some are serious, while some try to be humorous. And those with humor are actually usually trying to mask their emotions. Which is okay, too.

But every year, my main thankful thing remains the same. I try to come up with something different, but after just the general category of God and all He has done for us, I keep coming back to one thing.

Ready? Here it is:

Yes, my family. The same old answer year after year. Boring, right? Not at all.

On the contrary, I think it is great that with all the changes constantly going on in the world around us, our family is still as stable as it ever was. No, it isn’t always fun and games for us, and we have our difficulties just like everyone else does.

But when it comes right down to it, there is no one I would rather be around than the other two people with me in this photo. Of course, we have good times with our good friends, too, and they are a close second.

Interestingly, when most people seriously make a list of what they are thankful for, the things that continually come up are not really things at all, but rather people and experiences. “Things” that you can’t put a price on. After all, good relationships with good people are worth far more than gold and silver. You can’t buy the good stuff.

By the way, this photo was taken right after Jaylin sang in the All-Southwest Tennessee Honor Chorus concert this past weekend. We were some proud parents, as I’m sure could be said for all of the parents there that day. We were thankful for what Jaylin has accomplished, and not just in the school chorus, either.

The real challenge is to be thankful for all that you have all year long, not just at this one special holiday. Because after all, we are richly blessed all year long. And your attitude toward people and things will be much better if you remember what all you have and just where it all came from.

So, Happy Thanksgiving! Make it last for the whole year!