Thanksgiving......

The day we are to give thanks, others protest we are to give thanks everyday. While that is a good idea.....most do not! Thanksgiving gives us a chance to come together with our families and share our thankfulness with and for each other.....and of course, everyone's favorite.....EAT!

But, I, as well as many other of you, have suffered great loss or many losses this year and honestly just aren't looking forward to the Holidays. This year changed our lives and our celebrations forever! We are missing loved ones very dear to us.....do we have things to be thankful for.....sure! But it is very difficult right now in our grief.

I find myself dreading the holidays and festivities coming straight as us and wish I could just dodge them all.....but we can't.....we must live for the living......as hard as it may be right now! Tomorrow many of us will be looking at that empty chair at the table, unable to be ignored. We may share some tears and we may share some funny memories........but our loved ones WILL be on our minds!

So let's open ourselves up tomorrow to trying to be a little more transparent with our emotions for each other, a little more patient with the annoying family member (you know you got one), and take total advantage of the time we have together.....this could very well be the last Thanksgiving many of us share together....you never know and you'll wish you had.....well don't "wish you had" instead spend the day as if tomorrow may never come, be vulnerable, give lots of hugs cause they really feel good, say lots of I LOVE YOU'S they need to be heard, listen, share, laugh, be silly, have fun, take lots of pictures, ENJOY!

But as you gather with your loved ones don't forget the broken hearted and lonely ones.....the Fatherless, Motherless, Husbandless, Sisterless, Brotherless, and the Childless ones. As you gather around your feast and join hands in prayer don't forget to lift them up in prayer along with your gratitude in being so blessed to get to spend another holiday together.....that really is ALL that matters! Happy Thanksgiving!

Father, I pray right now for the brokenhearted and lonely right now. I pray you send a kind word, a hug, some laughter and joy into their day.You see the weak and the weary, the brokenhearted and broken in spirit, the heavy ladened and grief stricken and your compassion is endless and mercies are new each morning. As we sleep tonight I pray you lighten our burdens and give us a heart full of gratitude for you, our family and fellowman so we wake up better than we thought we would and make an effort to lighten the burdens of others as you have lightened ours! We will shout Thanksgivings as you bind our broken hearts according to Psalms 147 and we will be Thankful and shout praises to You, for this is the Thanksgiving You have made and we will rejoice and be glad in it!

3	He healeth the broken in heart,          and bindeth up their wounds.
4	He telleth the number of the stars;          he calleth them all by their names.
5	Great is our Lord, and of great power:          his understanding is infinite.
6	The LORD lifteth up the meek:          he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
7	Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving;          sing praise upon the harp unto our God: