Be Thankful.

So I have to admit, Thanksgiving often gets the shaft around my house. Darric & I are both huge Christmas "fans" (or freaks, as some would probably claim) & I always like to get my decorations up as early as he'll allow & leave them up for as long as I can get by with.
Anyway, even if it already looks like Christmas in my house, I don't want you to think that I don't still have Thanksgiving in my heart. I truly believe that as I grow older, I have come to appreciate more and more what Thanksgiving really means.
I have often thought that it was pretty rotten of the pilgrims to plan Thanksgiving so closely to Christmas that it gets lost in the hustle & bustle of the season celebrating our Lord's birth. (If only I would've been around to point that fact out to them! haha!) On the other hand, maybe it works out...
It's a time to pause & remember how much we have to be thankful for -- before we get caught up in all the holiday crazy-ness. I have so much to be thankful for & I know that I don't remember to express my gratefulness nearly often enough.
It's easy to be grateful for the normal stuff -- family, friends, roof over your head, food, etc. But how often do we stop to thank God for what He's done in our lives -- the trials He has brought us through (or is currently taking you through), the lessons we have had to learn (sometimes the hard way!), & the every day miracles He has done around us (that we rarely stop to recognize). It's easy to complain about the "bad" stuff that happens day in & day out, but when it's "all over" & the dust settles, do we remember to thank Him for what we've learned or for working everything out?
I know that I frequently get so caught up in the every day, self-centered "stuff" that I forget to really take into consideration that He sees the "big picture"...& it's not all about ME!
So, as I bustle around getting ready to host Thanksgiving in a house ready for Christmas, I must stop & consciously be thankful for everything...& most of all be thankful that He sent us His only Son so that we may have everlasting life. The decision is ours. Be Thankful.