I love Thanksgiving! It has always been my favorite holiday, with all the good things that come from the kitchen. The recipes that are only done once a year it brings excitement and joy to me. While I am in the kitchen cooking or in the dining room setting the table with all the colors of autumn I can hear laughing and yes even the arguing. I wouldn’t change any of it.
This is so pleasing to me and gives me an appreciation of my life and reminds me of what gifts I have been blessed with.
Even in my darkest of times when my children were growing up, their dad was with us drinking or using, I still could see the little bit of joy this holiday would bring. It might not last long because with an addict you never know how much time you have of peace but I would embrace it while I could and make the most of it so my children would have happy memories and I would have some of my own.
My life has changed so much from those days and my grown children have complemented me on having good holidays, but I must give credit to God for he was with us even in the darkest of the days and we can enjoy today for what it is.
With Thanksgiving and the holidays coming up I reflect with gratitude on my life. I think of how I like to garden and how it compares with life.
As you plant you prepare the soil, plant your seeds then water but in doing so you also know that weeds will be coming as well as what you planted. It takes work to keep the weeds from over taking, in fact it is easier to grow weeds than the plants you want.
Isn’t life just like that, it takes such hard continuous work to keep healthy.
Unhealthy thoughts of ungratefulness, anger, unforgiveness, worry…. the list can go on with thoughts that can overtake us and still our joy. If we don’t keep up on our weeding, we lose our joy making it so easy to only see the problems in our life.
In my past with those dark days, I couldn’t let the weeds overtake me and I’m sure not going to know. I have to do my daily weeding in the morning when my mind is fresh and before my day gets going. As I have my prayer, medication and devotions I have to mentally pull out my weeds, even the ones that are just coming up or they could so easily take over. I choose daily to have a garden of gratitude not one of whiny weeds.
Do you have some weeding to do in your garden before the big day of thankfulness comes?
Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Again I thank you for your wisdom and insight I need to weed so badly.