In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and to demonstrate that I am not only focused on the frustration of my present situation, I want to share some of the things I am thankful for.

Above all, I am thankful for faith in a God that I cannot always understand.  I wanted to add something to that sentence, but I don’t know what can follow that.  A God that is small enough for me to understand all the time isn’t big enough to worship.  A God that I can never understand is capricious and futile.  A God who brings order out of chaos, goodness and light from acts intended to further evil and darkness, that is a God I will serve and offer my life.

I am thankful for the people in my life who love me that I am honored to love in return, especially my husband.  We may not always see eye to eye (he is a foot taller than I am, after all), but I could not ask for a better man to share my life with.  I have an amazing family that has grown this year with the addition of a sister-in-law and a niece.  I have incredible friends who have given me such encouragement.  You know who you are, and you are beautiful.  I have a tremendous church family that never fails to love on me every time I walk through the doors.  I have been blessed to have old friends step back into my life, and I have been blessed with new and deeper friendships than I thought possible.

I am thankful to have survived the last three years with my faith not only intact but also growing stronger.  I am thankful for the certain knowledge that I am firmly in God’s hand, and I am strong enough to deal with anything life throws at me now.  It may not always be the most graceful approach, but I’ll get there.  And I am thankful beyond words to have a best friend who reminds me of that in small ways all the time.

I am thankful for the things God has given me – a beautiful house, the resources to live without worry, and the resources (and time) to write and be creative.  I only hope that I will be a better steward of all of these blessings.  For some reason, it feels appropriate to sing the Doxology here:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts.

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen.