Being Thankful

This week there has been lots of posts on social media, (and it is in the quilting world that I am usually spending my time,) where they are advertising all sorts of things at sale prices, for Black Friday. On a few blog posts I read there has also been much comment about the Thanksgiving long weekend. (What plans they have, and what recipes they will cook and where they will celebrate it.) While I had known about the custom of Thanksgiving, I was not really sure just when it was, so curiosity got the better of me and I googled it. (As you do).

I discovered it was the 4th Thursday of the month of November, and the following day was called Black Friday, and that was the start of Christmas shopping and many stores had discounted prices. On further investigation, I found that Thanksgiving goes back a long way, and originated as a harvest festival, a celebration of the blessings from the harvest of the year, and was a day to give thanks to God for his blessings, to pray and feast with family and friends.

While it is not something that Australia seems to do, the commercial part of the sales seems to be spreading to our country. I do think the idea of a day set aside, especially to acknowledge the things we are thankful for, has merit. I realise that we can be continually thankful and this has come into my Bible study readings this week. But we don't sit down with family for a special meal of Thanksgiving. A lot of people get into a panic in the leadup to Christmas celebrations, so I don't know how they would cope with 2 special meals in a month!

It was pretty easy to write a short list of thing that I am thankful for, as we do live in a very blessed country, although there are many places at present where they might struggle to be thankful.
I am very thankful for my family, my 4 children, 10 grandchildren, both my parents who are still with us, the care my father receives, and my extended family. I am very thankful for my faith, and God's word that he has given us, my church family, good friends and neighbours. I have a comfortable house to live in, with heating and cooling, work to do, a bed to sleep in, a garden and trees, and ample supply of good water. The list could go on and on.

Life sometimes brings circumstance that are not so good, and I can think of many of those occasions. I did struggle to give thanks for those times, but looking back, I can see the good that came out of them, and give thanks that God was there with me, and brought me to where I am now.

I have probably waffled on longer than I needed, and I give thanks if you have read this far!

Many Blessings,
From Jude