Giving Thanks and Being Grateful

Giving Thanks In All Circumstances is what we must do daily. It may be difficult with everything that is going on in the world. However when we give into the fear, we defeat the strong purpose God has in our lives. We let others dictate how we should feel. We allow the cares of this world to swallow us up.

We could wallow in self pity now. Looking at this photograph, some would say that the forest in it is dying. Others can look at this photograph and see the beautiful fall colors knowing that this is only a temporary death. The trees will grow their leaves again come Spring.

Much like the season of my life now. There are some things that are dying. I know that winter is coming when nothing will grow. Sometimes those thoughts scare me. No one wants to grow old...but we all do.

We need to give thanks to all the seasons of our lives realizing that in each season there is beauty to be had and enjoyed. We need to be grateful for what we do have in our lives now and not yearning for something more. As any of you that have been reading my blogs know I've been going through a particularly rough patch in my life these three and half years. I've had a time when I tried to push my  feelings down and pretend that life was going on pretty much as it had been. The shrinks call it the denial phase. I've also had the "fighting" phase where I tried my hardest to find some way out of the situation. I admit that in some ways I'm still fighting and unable to accept things the way they now are. It hasn't been easy to let go. I sometimes still long for that time when I felt secure and had a "9 to 5" job.

Yet I can't help thinking that if I hadn't be in the situation that I now still find myself in...that my eyes still would have been closed to all God has planned for me. I can be thankful for all the friends and acquaintances that I met over the past three and half years that helped keep me sane and focused. I can be grateful for opportunities (even if they are not paid) to help others understand their rich heritage and preserve local history. I can be thankful for the support I've received from so many businesses and individuals to bring a vision that much closer to reality.

I can thank God for leading me to people that can help shape the vision I have to help young people realize and embrace their heritage. I thank God for his presence in my life and in my family's lives.