Print

GIVING THANKS: It's the simple things that mean the most

By B.J. Williams
Posted 10:00AM on Thursday 28th November 2019 ( 4 years ago )

I've always admired those people who write a "gratitude list" for Thanksgiving or the people who post a new "thankful" entry each day in November on their Facebook pages. They manage to share their deepest feelings about those they cherish, about the memories they hold dear, about the blessings in their lives. 

So, why can't I do that?

I'll admit, I've grown a little jaded over the last decade. Maybe it's because I spend so much of my day writing and reading about the difficulties in life - the crime, the traffic accidents, the businesses that fail and the political divide we feel even in our corner of North Georgia. Some days, I go home feeling like I've taken a beating. 

I try to remind myself, though, that "news" is what's considered out of the ordinary. I learned that lesson from the late newspaper and radio man Ted Oglesby, who offered those words of comfort years ago when I was lamenting about the nature of the business. If what he said is true - and I believe it is - then the crime and the hate and the tragedies are newsworthy because they aren't the norm for most of us.

True, we all have sorrow in our lives, but for the most part, we are blessed. 

A couple of weeks ago, Joe Payton, my pastor at Riverbend Church in Gainesville, reminded us from the pulpit that we, as Christ followers, should be deliberately thankful every day, not just on Thanksgiving Day. I've been trying to remember his words - and act on them - even though my human nature has made me more than a tad cynical.

With all of that said, for the first time, I'm putting my thankful list in writing. It's nothing fancy because honestly, I'm not a very fancy gal. I've determined the simple things in my life make me the most thankful. It's also a short list, not because I have little for which to be thankful, but because I'm going to add to it through the season. And, also because, I try not to bore readers with too much "stuff."

B.J.'s 2019 Thanksgiving List (in random order)

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 118:1






 

http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/11/854758/giving-thanks-its-the-simple-things-that-mean-the-most

© Copyright 2015 AccessNorthGa.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.