All holidays feel like moveable feasts. I’m ready for Christmas in July and think Easter is worth celebrating every Sunday, which I sort of do anyway (church puts me in a Resurrection mood).
I’d like to propose a mini Thanksgiving right now. Don’t bother with a turkey and stuffing. A celebration of thankfulness will do. Here’s a smorgasbord of what I’m thankful for right now. Got any of your own mid-winter prayers of thanksgiving to add?
All Those Christmas Cards
If grace is a word to describe undeserved love and favor, our pile of Christmas cards is certainly a sign of grace. Carol and I haven’t sent a Christmas card since before the millennium. Just can’t get organized to do it. But year after year, we receive them by the dozens. I love the family shots and seeing how the kids have grown (spitting images of their parents). I also adore pictures of pets. Not to mention gorgeous full-color images of the Nativity. How thankful I am for all those friends and their blessings.
Good Health
Four years ago in January I was recovering from open-heart surgery. Couldn’t walk up a few stairs without feeling winded. Couldn’t even sing a Christmas carol. Guess what? I feel terrific now. Maybe my recovery was not as quick as my surgeon would have led me to believe, but recovery came. Here’s my word of advice on recovering from a health crisis: Don’t rush it. Not for nothing are patients called patients (even when we’re not patient). Give the Great Physician time. Nothing makes you appreciate the gift of health like a temporary setback. But call it just that.
The Weather
Remember those hot sweltering summer days when you yearned for air-conditioned splendor? They’re here and you don’t have to flick a switch or worry about BTUs—just go outside. When I first started at Guideposts, there was an elderly secretary who insisted this cold weather is excellent for your health. “The freezing weather kills off all the germs,” she said. Don’t know if that’s true, but her attitude is worth embracing. Glory in the seasons. Go for a brisk walk. At least when the sweltering days come, you’ll be able to remember how you wished for some heat.
My Family
Prayers of praise for them. They are an endless delight. Last year we had our share of sorrow. I lost my dad in February and my brother-in-law was in a plane crash that killed the five other passengers and nearly killed him. I grieve for those losses and am grateful for Mike’s recovery. He is one tough cookie, a walking miracle. But I couldn’t have made it through those trials without a loving, laughing family. Yes, there was always something to laugh about. Even at Dad’s funeral. Laughing with your loved ones is prayer on helium. What a lift.
The New Year
Thank God for a clean slate, a chance to start over. Got your New Year’s resolutions? I believe in little ones, not those big ones that overwhelm you by January 3rd. Faced with the failing brain power of an aging Boomer, I’ve decided to take up memorizing Scripture on my morning runs. Not a lot. A few psalms will do. But it’s something new for me. Got something new you want to try? A recipe, a book, a prayer practice? The calendar is clean, waiting for you. Happy New Year!
