Thanksgiving prayer:
O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen.
Thanksgiving. A day to give thanks. What am I thankful for? Really just about everything. Not in any particular order, and certainly not all inclusive.
The Mom I have.
That I have had Mom as long as I have.
My sister, Jackie, who uprooted herself and moved here from Utah to help with Mom responsibilities.
My sister's husband Bob, who has been the most supportive husband in the world and treats my mom and treated my dad with the utmost of respect.
That I had the dad I had and that I had him for as long as I did. I miss him dearly.
My brother who does what he is capable of.
The good dude in Oklahoma that made it possible from my great nephew, Grayson, to reunite with his dad, mom, and family in time for Thanksgiving.
All the posters here. You are like family to me.
All the readers here. Every visit to my blog is appreciated.
My Facebook friends. God love them. The put up with my daily posting of pictures, quotes, and musings. If they went out of my life I would miss them dearly.
That I've only lost part of my mind.
For the ability to laugh.
For becoming a good enough cook that Mom no longer uses Pepto Bismal as a salad dressing.
For The Satellite Sisters. Their humor. That as they go through a difficult time with a dad with Alzheimer's and a mother with Stage 4 Cancer that they have the courage and conviction to share their lives with us. It helps all of us caring for elderly parents.
The Chaos Chronicles. See Satellite Sisters. Lian's own blog and podcast. Her humor in tough times is amazing. Often her words are so touching they bring you to tears.
That I got to know Pat before the lord took her at much to young of an age. She was special.
My cousin Dixie who is like a sister to me.
My Uncle Frank who joined my dad in heaven this year. He was a second dad.
My cousins Belva and Don. Fun folks. Enjoy every dinner with them.
My football breakfast buddies, Ted, Bill E, Leland, Doug, Greg.
That I was able to reconnect with childhood friend, Dave this year.
My extended family in Texas.
My cousin Lavelle as she is fighting three active cancers, doing it with strength, humor, love, and courage.
And so much more. I know I missed so many people and so many things that I am thankful for. I'm thankful that I know they will forgive me.
Finally for today, I'm thankful that I am not a vegetarian.
What are you thankful for?
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
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2 comments:
What a beautiful Thanksgiving Prayer, Bill. Thanks for sharing. It's a good prayer to start each day with.
Like you, a list of those things for which I'm thankful is a long one and would take up pages and pages, as I discovered this morning. My list, like yours, isn't necessarily in order nor all inclusive...
Himself - his love, his support, his encouragement
Having Mom with us and Deb's constant care of her.
The years with Daddy, all he taught me, by word and by example.
The security of a warm and comfortable home, food in the freezer, the ability to meet our needs and most of our wants.
Good health and healers to help with the minor glitches.
Discovering and pursuing what I believe to be God's purpose for my life - helping people through a combination of editing their books for publication and, equally important, writing my books to help others.
Discovering, over the past year, a number of books that have helped me find my purpose, grow closer to a spiritual relationship with God, learn to stop and listen and give up control (okay, still working on the last one).
Your blog, posters here, other email buddies.
Knowing Pat and being close to her for the last several years, all our daily chats. I miss her.
My friend, Nancy's, positive reports on possible remission from her battle with ovarian cancer.
The beauty surrounding me on our property and on the back roads I most often travel.
Friends and acquaintances at the pool, who encourage and support me, offer practical help in so many areas, from doctors to the book to recipes and health issues.
The unconditional love and entertainment provided by Spooker and the Scamp.
Having enough of almost everything to be able to share with others who are in need.
The "little" daily blessings - watching the leaves flutter from the trees, the birds at the feeders, the time to enjoy morning coffee, morning pages, meditation, the pool.
The opportunity to pursue my dream of publishing and the challenge of learning to love marketing (koff) and the helpful groups on the internet.
Good books, good music.
There's so much more.I'm very fortunate in that most mornings I wake up saying, "Good morning, God," instead of "Good God, morning!"
Hi DR
I love your list, my favorite part is the last few words "Good morning, God," instead of "Good God, morning."
Himself is lucky to have you in his life as are your pets. The pets really do give us peace and unconditional love.
Bill
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