Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving... a day to reflect back on the year and all we have to be thankful for...
I want us all to take a moment and reflect back on the year, which seems to have flown by. Every year seems to get just a little bit faster paced… and more out of our hands as time goes on. My head spins when trying to capture it all into words.
We all have so much to be thankful for. But to whom or what do we pause to give thanks? Do we thank ourselves? It is inconceivable to believe that we made it through the year on our own merit or our own accomplishment. No man is an island, as they say. There are many, many others in our lives who contribute to the events and accomplishments of our year and whom we do not always readily acknowledge or even so much as say a simple ‘thank you’ to along the way.
I know that I cannot exist on my own nor would I ever pretend that I am entirely self sufficient in this world. I would imagine that even Donald Trump has not arrived at his place and stature in life by flying solo. And so, I give thanks to those who have shared my crazy life this year and the many years preceding this one.
To my wife, I am most thankful for. It has been a tough year on us both, but she has been faithfully a friend and a companion at my side every day, every step of the way this year. Her love for me is unconditional and I do not deserve it. Her humor towards me is without measure, for without it I think I would drive her insane. Her support for my dreams and me is limitless. She is my inspiration and my hope.
To our families, I am deeply thankful. Throughout this year the support of our mothers, fathers, sisters, brother’s, aunts and uncles has be paramount. Being so very far away has taken a toll on our families and us. We feel your love, you prayers and your best wishes for us daily. Without the love and support we have received along the way this year from you all, we certainly would have gone quite inane out here.
To our many friends, I am thankful. All the emails, the letters, cards, phone calls and visits we have shared this year with all our friends has filled our year with laughter and joy. Our time spent with everyone has made the year soar past us from one moment to the next. Where has it all gone? I look back and regret that I did not capture more of it in pictures. Thank you all for being there for us, each in your own way.
I pause this time of year to also reflect on the time I spent in the service and the times I was away or overseas during the holidays and I give thanks to those men and women who are serving our country and are away this holiday. To all my brothers and sisters in service, I am thankful for your sacrifice and professionalism in your duty to our nation. I remember when I was on duty during the holidays and how hard that was, yet how proud I was too. I remember thinking about all the people who were back home with their families and friends and enjoying the peace of the season and how I somehow fit into the bigger picture which provided for that security and that peace. To all our service members, I say thank you.
Lastly, I pause this time of year more than any other throughout the year to give thanks to God. I know I do not do this near enough along the way, but how can I help but reflect on all that has happened in my life this year and all the years and not give thanks? It is incomprehensible to me to imagine a world without God. I am no minister, nor am I an evangelist or preacher, so my attempt at a definition of thanks to our Creator will probably miss the mark by a mile, but I wish to at least try. So much we take for granted in this world on a daily basis. There are so many events and actions going on all around us every moment of our lives that we cannot comprehend or imagine. We are but a miniscule part of a larger picture… a single individual amongst a few billion others, all inhabitants of a relatively tiny little rock which circles around a hot burning sun that is itself a relatively miniscule part of an even greater cosmos which is infinite in size and space. To contemplate the cosmos and then to take a look at something as simple as a flower or a snowflake is just fantastic and amazing to me. And yet, through it all… through the turning of the earth, the countless billions of stars and planets out there somewhere, the billions of other people and creatures, which share this world with you and I, through it all my life, goes on. My heart continues to beat though I cannot really tell you why. I make it safely through each day and night and progress yet another year in life, though I cannot explain to you how. I attribute it all, great and small to one person and that is God. I give thanks to God for my life. 
posted by PBMJ @ 2:39 PM
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