Give Thanks

Give thanks . . . for the things in your life that really matter. Rich is not what you have, but who you have beside you.

Give thanks . . . for those you love and those who love you. There are people who you have never met but still they have a love for you. They care so much about you they are willing to put themselves in harm's way to protect you.

Give thanks . . . for those who serve in the military as well as emergency responders. Each one of them is a husband, wife, son, daughter, father, mother or friend of someone. Each of them have someone who cares about them.

Give thanks . . . for your health and the health of your family. Wealth means nothing if you cannot enjoy it.

Give thanks . . . for those who attend to your health needs when you are ill or injured. Their skill and compassion is just a part of the healing process.

Give thanks . . . for the good things in your life. Everything has a purpose. The good things are a reminder of how blessed you are. But bad things happen for a purpose as well, if for no other reason than to make you appreciate the good in life.

Give thanks . . . for adversity for it is from adversity that we become strong. General Douglas MacArthur penned a poem I gave to my son long ago. One of the great lines reads, "Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,
but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.
Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm;
here, let him learn compassion for those who fall."

Give thanks . . . not just during this season, but every day. Life is a gift. Enjoy it to the fullest and do not miss a single moment.