Thanksgiving

"Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, 
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms."
Psalm 95:2

Thanksgiving this year was a wonderful celebration with friends and family - including all of the traditional elements, and a few new additions.  Turkey, mashed potatoes, pie...and soup.  We're petitioning to my parents to start a new holiday called "Soup Day" after this year's Thanksgiving, when after having a fabulous traditional turkey dinner with the in-laws, we had varieties of soup at my parent's house.  It was the perfect balance of holiday food!

Then we slept little, shopped a lot, and decorated like crazy for Christmas (because clearly, Thanksgiving is partially the celebration of the beginning of the Christmas season).

But sincerely, it is a blessing to have a day set aside to remember to be thankful.  We are a blessed society - and a blessed people.  Me more than most - so, here are some things I'm thankful for, and desire to remember to be thankful for...because we truly are blessed.

1. My Family - all of them...
2. My Husband - though under the umbrella of #1, he gets his own category.  Rob is the best and I learn more each day how privileged I am that he is choosing to spend his life with me.
3. Friends - like family, those kindred spirits who choose you to do life together.
4. My Country - freedom, democracy, capitalism, and those who fight to maintain our country which was built on biblical principles for the glory of the Lord.
5. Jobs - the ability to work and find satisfaction in doing something valuable
6. My Home - a place to call our own - which God clearly provided for us almost a year ago - is truly something to be thankful for.
7. Food - it's the best and I love it.
8. Silliness/Fun - we have been created to be unnecessarily fun and have humors reflecting the Lord Himself (just look at the duck-billed platypus) - pretty legit!
9. Sleep - as a particular source of joy for me, and the reminder of our daily dependence on God.

and most importantly...
10. Christ Himself - the source of all things that we have been given.  The provider of all things, Christ is our Savior, who put aside the privileges of His deity to come to earth, live a sinless life, and die on our behalf...exchanging His perfection for our imperfection, so that we might be eligible for eternal life with Him through faith in His sacrifice.  I will never fully understand, but remain overwhelmingly thankful.