Looking For The Turkey

You know, coming up with these different titles everyday gets harder and harder. Happy Thanksgiving one and all. I was awoken on this glorious day by the sound of a ringing telephone at 7:00 AM. It was my Aunt Linda, she was wishing us a Happy Thanksgiving. How Nice... The ironic part is that I heard my name a few times in their conversation. That always raises my level of concern. Never the less, with my low amount of sleep, I reasoned that it still wasn’t enough and I returned to that beautiful state of solace.

I drove over to Palm Bay which is about a thirty minute drive to pick up my Grandma. My Mom and Brother both had to work today (Tommy ended up getting off a few hours early), so we had a few hours to kill until lunch. We just drove around listening to The Get Up Kids. She was like, “Jeffery, I can barely hear it, turn it up.” Haha, my Grandma is really a closet indie-rock-girl.

(Break For Food)

I just got done eating lunch. Thanksgiving is one of the only holidays that my family sits down together to eat a meal. Christmas and New Years are the other exceptions. I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but I really want my family to sit down and eat dinner together, every night or as much as possible. Before we ate, my Dad asked me to pray. So, I prayed. Anyone that doesn’t attend a Bible college would be impressed by my semi-theological phrasing and a low degree of eloquent wording. Don’t get me wrong, I just prayed, nothing special, definitely not a big deal. I really get annoyed when the “holy-rollers” spend five minutes seemingly patronizing the audience with their big theological words which honor thy glorious unfathomable sovereign Father who so abundantly bestows his glorious riches upon our depraved souls. So, I just said a prayer and you know me, I’m a little long winded sometimes. My family raved about it. They acted like I finally learned how to pray and the Lord was working in my life (which he is and has been). It was quite funny to me. Lunch was good. I love the way my Dad cooks. We had turkey, dressing, collard greens, avocado, rolls--yeah, the works. So, I’m full and feeling extremely obese, but it’s such a happy feeling.

The purpose of remembrance is to recall and bring back to mind the thoughts and feelings that remind you of a time once well known. I don’t know what I could say that would reflect what I’m feeling today. I have so many things thankful for:

I’m blessed for knowing everything I know. Learning is so special. I’m thankful that I have a mind still to learn new and wondrous things.

I’m thankful that I was brought up by my family. I love them and don’t always like them, but they truly are the reason for me being alive and somewhat of the reason for why I am who I am. I don’t deserve them.

I’ve been blessed with great friends. They all mean more to me than they could possibly know. Each one, special in their very own way. All the beauty, intelligence, and special qualities that they all posses individually. They understand friendship and are the epitome of the word.

I am thankful for everything I have. I have so much, I am blessed. Material possessions don’t really matter in the whole scheme of things, but I enjoy all of it that I have.

And most importantly, I am thankful for my relationship with God. It might seem a bit cliché to say that, but I do enjoy it and am blessed that God has sought a purpose for my life. I so don’t deserve it, and I let Him down so much, but he is faithful to me, even when I’m not faithful to him. That’s joy!

These are all my reasons to continue on. Sometimes the road looks so cluttered and I cannot see the end result. It’s because of all these blessings that I stay keeping on keeping on. I hope everyone can read this and see their own reasons to be thankful. If you’ve contributed anyone to this list, thank you. I am thankful for you...

“Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude." ~E.P. Powell