Being Thankful...NOT just at Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and many of us will be contemplating all that we are thankful for...while at the same time...sad but true...many of us will be wondering what we have to be thankful for!

It isn't always easy to see each day, each moment, and each breath that we take a gift from God, though that's exactly what it is! 

I'm choosing to be in the first group...how about you? 

In the last 2 days, I have read two different things that have really spoken to me, about this, and I wanted to share them here with you. 

The first one came from Elizabeth at
Just following Jesus in my real life 
and with her permission I'm sharing it here...

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Freedom…

Have you ever felt like you were trapped…

in a stuck place…

in a pit…

due to circumstances

or due to other people

their choices, their decisions,

things that affect you

but

are simply beyond your control?

I’ve been there.

But today, I’m free!

Years ago, during a time of feeling trapped, helpless, desperate,

I got away by myself seeking to hear God.

His words to me were, in essence, “stop being a victim.

Quit focusing on what you cannot change about other people or outward circumstances.

Start doing something about the things you can change.

Build your life!

It’s easy to do nothing, remain unhappy, and blame it on others.

The truth is, no one, nothing, can rob you of your purpose and a fulfilled, abundant life but you.”

That day, the things God spoke to me, changed my life.

Not all at once, but step by step, I started making choices to build my life,

to do the things I loved to do,

to be the person God made me to be,

to quit using others or circumstances

as an excuse

to live in a pit.

Freedom is a beautiful thing, friend.

Build your life.

Why not start today?

Still following,

Elizabeth

Have you ever felt like Elizabeth, I know that I have...

you can find Elizabeth here

and read many more wonderful God inspired posts from her!

The next story I came upon today....
 via www.voa.org/talk  
(discussing aging with your family)

The Joy of Being Thankful

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by 8am, shaved perfectly with his hair fashionably combed and even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it,'" he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room yet."

"That doesn’t have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged - it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away just for this time in my life."

"Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!"

I hope these two stories speak to your heart as they did to mine!
I pray you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, that you realize all that you have to be Thankful for...
not just at Thanksgiving, but everyday!
Now excuse me while I go deposit some happiness
into my old age account! 

Sharon