Thankful Part 3

Today is the day! I will spend my morning watching the parade and brining our turkey.

Then it's time for food prep.

Dinner is at 2:00.

The cowboys play at 4:00.

And finally we usually round out thanksgiving night with Home Alone on DVD.

But that really isn't what today is all about.

Wednesday afternoon I showed my critical thinking class Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving and we had a chat about why we celebrate this holiday as a nation. And just what we should be thankful for. 

It never ceases to amaze me that the Pilgrim's were able to come to a new land with just three months worth of provisions and build a colony. As a modern woman with a house full of appliances and conveniences I cannot imagine leaving all this behind to start a new life with just a suitcase of clothes, some food, and a toolbox. 

I find it amazing that the Native Americans were willing to take the Pilgrims under their wing. Would I be willing to welcome random strangers from a foreign land into my home? Would I share all the food in my pantry? Would I give people I didn't know the clothes in my closet or the keys to my car? 

When I think of the first thanksgiving it becomes so apparent that God has his hand in the lives of each person who celebrated. He opened the hearts of the Native Americans to allow them to give cheerfully and he guided the Pilgrim's to a promise land were they were free to worship him and prosper. 

The first thanksgiving also reminds me that life is not always easy. Even with God's hand in my life it will never be a constant stream of sunshine and rainbows. The pilgrim's had months of famine, months of sickness, and many died while trying to live the life God had chosen for them. Right now I may be tired, my job may be hard, and my bank account may be less than I am comfortable with and that is OK. 

Even in the darkest of days I am still God's child, I am still cared for, I am still loved and for that I AM THANKFUL.