My Thanksgiving List

While roasting the turkey on Thanksgiving day I had my kitchen radio tuned to Dr. David Jeremiah's daily broadcast called Turning Point.  He message was about Giving Thanks.  He said that gratitude should be expressed; that it is not thanksgiving until it is expressed.  As I thought about this idea of giving voice to my gratitude, I realized I should be saying "thank you" a lot more often than I do.  For me that starts with thanking God for everything.  But it also means being thankful for all the people he has placed in my life.  To express my gratitude, I started a list of people that I am thankful for.


Romans 1:8, "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. 


I am thankful -

• for my Dad who continues to give God praise after a year long battle with cancer; whose faith has been tested and tried and proved to be genuine. 
• for my Mom whose faith never waivers; her life is built on a solid rock.
• for Betty and her hospitality to me and my family; we have stayed in her home many times in the past months.
• for Glen and Barbara; for being available when Dad and Mom needed them most.
• for Andy and Charlotte; for overcoming difficulties and obstacles and giving the rest of us courage to do the same. 
• for Sherwood and Sonia; for inspiring me to read the Bible through as they have. 
• for Norma and all that she does on a daily basis to help Dad and Mom by checking on them, bringing them meals, and helping with their medications.
• for Larry, for being the most interesting person I know and for sharing his heart with me; for being a great Dad, Grandpa, and Gepaw and for being a man who doesn't back down.
• for Melanie; for giving 100% everyday to everything she does and for teaching me to believe. 
• for Hannah; for teaching me to be joyful, to have fun and to enjoy life and for being unafraid to speak her mind. 
• for Philip; for being an awesome dad who loves his family and puts their needs ahead of his own; for his keen sense of justice and a desire for order and peace in the world.
• for Teresa; for being a daughter-in-law that I can trust to be the best wife and mother that she can be because she desires to be a Godly woman. 
• for Taylor and Martin and Kate and Audrey; who give me a glimpse of the future and the courage to share my faith unashamedly.
• for Kris; for being a true friend and for being so kind.
• for Jeane, for being my role model; In all the years that I have known her, I have never seen her unhappy, angry, or ill tempered.  I have never heard her complain or criticise others.  She is the most gracious, loving person I have ever met.

There are many more of you that I am thankful for; old and new friends and family at church, at school, at work, in all the places I have lived.  I am so grateful for you and how you touched my life.  It is good to give thanks.  May it become our lifelong goal;  to express our gratitude in true thanksgiving.