It’s almost Thanksgiving, and things are beginning to get festive!
In our house alone my mom has ordered fabric for my sister to make seasonal bunting, and this morning I went out to buy a pumpkin for my Thanksgiving centrepiece. In the UK, Thanksgiving isn’t a public holiday, but in the US where it is, I’m sure people have begun the Thanksgiving food shop and are preparing to start cooking in a couple of days’ time!
All this makes me almost giddy with excitement for my favourite holiday of the year and the tastiest meal ever! I love how Thanksgiving isn’t about presents or lights or even church- like Christmas is- but how it’s simply about sitting around the table as a family, sharing what we’re thankful for and enjoying the most delicious meal of the year.
This Thanksgiving will most likely be a little different for lots of people though. 2020 has been kinda crazy, and that’s probably going to mean that many people won’t be able to visit friends and family, or see as many people as normal.
I was thinking about this, and how Thanksgiving celebrations aren’t the first thing Covid has messed up for me… or for anyone. When January dawned, I had great plans for this new year to be ‘the best year of my life so far’ but it soon became apparent that those things weren’t going to play out like I’d hoped. School stopped, we were stuck at home for Easter, Church was via zoom and summer (best season ever) was practically cancelled!
Maybe a couple of my plans for the year didn’t work out. But God’s plans are so much bigger than mine, and I can count a number of ways which God has been working in my life through the pandemic. And through it all, we have so much to be grateful for. God pours an abundance of blessings into my life… more than I deserve… I just need to pay attention and be thankful.
Even in the everyday, there is a million things to be thankful for. Waking up. The sunrise. Breakfast. Tea and coffee. Pets. Seeing friends. Education or a job. A home. Family. The sun. The rain. Fresh air. Warm heaters. Electricity. Clothes. Coffee shops. Lunch. Walks outside. Chocolate. Snacks. Fresh fruit. Music. Teachers. Stationary. Books. Dinner. Hot milk. Fireworks. Movie nights. PJ’s. Socks. The moon. Getting a good nights’ sleep.
I know that for me, when I take a moment to think about all these seemingly everyday things, I feel blown away but how much I have to be grateful for. I feel blessed beyond measure, I just need to look up and realise it.
So this Thanksgiving, even if you’re not American and don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to encourage you to take a moment to reflect on some things you’re thankful for and praise God for his goodness and provision.
‘Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever.’ Psalm 107:1
Blessings,
Not So Perfect 
Great things to be thankful for! I also have to remind myself to be thankful for even the smallest things, and especially the way that this year has turned out! It’s actually been a really fulfilling year .. probably because trials being about real growth, growth that can’t be forced through journaling or self-reflection, but through overcoming the tough times. 💛
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Yes, I totally agree! I think that if we step back and take a moment to really look at everything that has happened this year we’ll see how this difficult year in itself has been a blessing. And like you said, the kind of growth and strengthening of relationships that have come from this year are not things that could have come without the trials that have been faced this year. ✨
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