I Am Thankful

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, the new pastor, Matt Poole, at our neighborhood church, First Free Methodist Church in Seattle, issued us a "gratitude challenge" this week. He said one would be easy and one would be a little harder. First he asked us to write a list of 10 things for which we are thankful. No problem.

1) Family

2) Job

3) Church (First Free Methodist Church)

4) Samaritans (my adult Sunday School class at church)

5) Home

6) Sewing

7) Vehicle (I do love my 6 year old Ford Flex-130,000 miles and still going strong!)

8) Macey (my Airedale)

9) Food (It is Thanksgiving after all)

10) Music

Then he asked us to add one thing to the list each day. No problem.

Monday) Hope

Tuesday) Freedom

Wednesday) Medicine

Thursday) Technology

Friday) Andrew Lloyd Weber (Cats and Les Mis for the drive home-I need to be in a certain mood because I am very likely to cry.)

Saturday) My Voice (and the opportunity to share it) (meaning that I have an opinion and I can share it)

Then he asked us to do something harder. He asked us to find a person of whom we are envious. And to give thanks for that person. Ooh, a little harder.

I thought and thought about this all week. There are people for whom I don’t care, people I dislike or against whom I may hold a grudge. There are people with whom I am angry. But, I can’t think of any one of whom I am ENVIOUS.

Is it because I have a perfect life? No.

Is it because I am perfectly content with things as they are? No.

Then I thought of something of which I am envious. It’s more a group of people or a type of person. I am envious of folks with ENERGY. Young folks who have boundless enthusiasm, ideas and energy AND folks my age that are like the Energizer bunny. I envy people with the energy to keep going and going. I have decades of experience and knowledge. It is what makes me great at my job. It also gives me a certain assurance and confident perspective. Would I trade one for the other? No. Well, some for some….

Enjoy your season and notice all the things around you for which you are grateful!