The gift of thankfulness

This annual exercise in which a number of my friends are engaged isn't a matter of God needing our gratitude for his goodness.  Rather, it is a reminder that we need: that all that we have has come from God, so as to replace any sense of entitlement or resentment in our own hearts with an appreciation for the abundant blessings we have.

I have never engaged in the public FB thank-a-thon, and I wish that I could say that is because my life is so full of gratitude that I don't need to express it so demonstratively. On the contrary, I often read my friends' expressions of gratefulness with a bit of a resentful spirit. "Oh, how nice that you can be thankful for your (dad, mother-in-law, childhood, etc.). Must be nice."  Which is, of course, exactly the opposite of what my friends are hoping to inspire by their sharing.  But my reaction is by no means their fault, and I find that I am starting to look for the kernel of commonality that I can find in each thing they share. I may not have a dad for whom I can feel mostly thankful, but I am grateful that my dad did take me in and try to make me his own, and that I learned so many things from my step-father that I am able to take on a lot of tasks that would otherwise be beyond me. My mother-in-law may have gone to her grave without forgiving me, but she made every effort not to express that to me, and my fatiher-in-law was genuine in his acceptance and forgiveness of me. My childhood memories may have a continual undercurrent of dysfunctions and pain, but there are many very fond ones, too.

So I thank you, God, for this life with which you have blessed and continue to bless me. I pray that you would help me to be less attuned to my regrets and more in touch with the many ways you reveal your presence and your love.