1 Thessalonians 5:18 – In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (KJV)

1 John 3:17 – But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? (NKJV)

Throughout our married years, as times and people came and went, our Thanksgivings consisted of hosting parents, relatives, friends, university students, and then, our adult children and little grandkids.

However, as time moved on, parents passed on, and our family grew. Because we live on an island and the others are on the mainland — or at least more accessible to it — it was easier and more sensible timewise and financially for the two of us to travel to the mainland than for everyone to make the trek to the island.

One thing that hasn't changed is that no matter where we have our Thanksgiving dinner, we go around the table, and each person states at least One Thing for which they are thankful. No excuses. No exceptions.

This year will be different. I shall be in the United States on our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, meeting up with a family member and friends from other parts of Canada to enjoy a hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

We will likely have our own little Thanksgiving dinner, and whether or not we state our One Thing of thanks, I shall definitely be thinking of mine.

The One Thing for which I am thankful is that we live in a country that:

• Allows people to choose to practice the faith of their choice, mine being Christianity and a belief in God and His Son Jesus Christ, for we have had relatives living in a country that once forced them to sneak around to small towns to be able to worship in the church of their faith.
• Honours and finds its strength in diversity (though we need to work on this a lot).
• Encourages women to be educated and rise to the heights of their dreams, for we have many female members of our family who have attained their dreams, and young ones who hopefully will strive to do so.
• Helps those who are in need and gives us opportunities to contribute personally.

Yes, there are many more things that this One Thing encompasses. Some items need more attention, I agree. However, Thanksgiving is a time to focus on the positives, the things for which we are thankful… even if we can think of only one thing.

Prayer: God of our very being, amidst all the ongoing strife and tragedy throughout Your world, our world, may we take a moment to give You our thanks for at least One Thing for which we are thankful as we sit down to enjoy our Thanksgiving meals this Thanksgiving weekend. Amen.

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About the author:

Mary Daniel <marydee@shaw.ca>
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
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