Most of us are thankful for the big stuff. You know, like, coming out of a horrific accident without a scratch, the birth of a child, etc. All these type things are certainly ‘thanks worthy’ and then some!
But did you thank God when you opened your eyes to a new day? What about going to the bathroom without difficulty? Did you open your faucet to get a drink of water without even a thought of it making you sick or the fact you didn’t have to carry water into your house in a bucket? What about getting more comfortable by pushing a button on a thermostat?
I am very blessed even though I have concerns. My situation is not perfect, yet I have so much to be thankful for in the big things and in the ordinary things.
As I get older (68 if you are curious), I find myself being thankful for ordinary things that never hit my thankful radar when I was full of vim and vigor.
When I crack my eyes open and throw my feet from beneath the covers, I thank God for another day and give my Savior Jesus a breath of worship. He gives me life on earth and eternal life if my eyes remain closed on some distant morning.
I am thankful I have teeth (and crowns) to brush and some hair to comb. I still have a wife to kiss in the morning, who kisses me back and says she loves me. I make my way to the kitchen to swallow a few pills and brew myself a K-cup portion of morning delight. Making my way to my Archie Bunker chair, I slowly sip the Folgers Classic Roast while munching a Nutri Grain bar as my prebreakfast routine (Folgers nor Nutri Grain sponsor this blog—but they can!)
In the morning after I rise, when the phone rings, I am thankful it is a robocall so I can ignore it. (Oh no, what if I missed a call from Folgers.)
I also try to be thankful with humility. When I walk into Walmart to buy probiotics and vitamins and see a man on a scooter who is twenty years my younger, I lean into the side of compassion rather than judgement. I have no idea why he is on a scooter, but I have a good idea that it is by God’s grace I am walking without a limp.
When I walk through a graveyard, I find many graves shorter than I am tall. Some died at birth, some in childhood, some never married, some died in their prime through war, accident, or disease. I tend to look at the dates on either side of the dash and do some quick math realizing I have surpassed their dash. Suddenly, I am sad for those I loved and some I never knew. I am thankful that I am above ground and limber. Thankfulness also fills my heart knowing that when the grass sprouts above my bones; I will be in eternity worshipping the One who supplied the grace needed to get there even though I did not deserve it.
I could ramble on some more, but I wanted you to be thankful I cut it shorter than usual.
Happy Thanksgiving—Happy Life—Thankful for Life Everyday!
Yours on the Journey,
Harry L. Whitt
Pathway Journey 