Thanksgiving means family. Thanksgiving means turkey and dressing. Thanksgiving means relaxing and enjoying each other's presents. Thanksgiving means gingerbread cookies. Right?
Well not this year. Thanksgiving meant for us, the flu. (Thankfully, John and I didn't get it!) It really made me step back and think about what I'm thankful for. It's easy to be thankful when things are going just as you planned and expected. An unexpected sickness makes your stop and realize that even with the flu, there is still SO much to be thankful for. Even when there are trials and struggles, I can be thankful and it will change my attitude.
Thankfulness is something that doesn't come natural to me. I tend to be a pessimist, seeing the glass half empty. I over analyze things. I see mountains instead of molehills. I think often " I have so much to do." or "I'll never get it all done." I have a skewed perspective that I fight to overcome. I have to tell myself, "this won't take long" or "I can do all things through Christ." Even those small tasks that get old after you do them several times a day. I have started timing myself to help gain some perspective. Those dishes that I thought would take an hour, only take about 15 minutes. This is a very practical example, but it is common in my thought pattern that I have miscalculated the reality of certain situations.
I missed being with "my family" for Thanksgiving. I missed cooking and decorating cookies, but there will be another one next year. This year I learned a lesson in thankfulness: "There is ALWAYS something to complain about, BUT with that, there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for."
