I don't have any pictures of our lovely Thanksgiving and it's a shame.  The table was beautiful with its acorn/leaf name tags, and the 'horn of plenty' centerpiece (made out of actual bread dough) with fruit spilling out of it.  The food was as good to eat as it was to look at, and everyone was all dressed nice and handsome/gorgeous.  There, can you picture it in your mind?  Well that will have to do because I suppose I was too busy partaking in it all and neglected to get my camera out. :(  I've been doing worse and worse at that lately....

   So after all the football and turkey and Black Friday deals and family...what is leftover?  Well, maybe some sweet potatoes if you're lucky, but what I'm referring to is a laundry list of things you're thankful for this year.  I suppose I could list the obvious ones, like a loving husband who keeps me from going crazy, a beautiful daughter who gives me a reason to become a better person, and a Savior Who gives me reason to face it all, and most of all, hope.  But really, aren't these easy things to be thankful for?  I mean, who wouldn't be thankful to be married to a hunk, or mother to a little piece of sunshine?  So this year, I'm learning (slowly) to be thankful for the not-so-easy things. 

   I was inspired by a post on Dorcas Smucker's blog, but I just tried looking for it and couldn't find it, so maybe she removed it.  If so, it's a shame, because it was a lovely, thought-provoking and lyrical poem about being thankful for the not-so-easy things.  I loved it.  And it challenged me.  Usually, when I think of things I'm thankful for, a list pops into my head like....

• Good health
• Family
• Friends
• Money, clothes, food, etc.

   The easy stuff.  Blessings that anyone in their right mind would be thankful for.  And they should be, because we should give thanks for everything.  But what about the blessings in disguise?  Are we thankful for those?  What about the times that stretch, try us, develop us, mold us, and refine us?  What about the times when our greatest weakness is brought into the spotlight, rearing its ugly head and we shrink back from the sight? What about then? Are we thankful?  I don't know about you, but in those times, an attitude of gratitude is usually the farthest thing from my mind.  My thoughts more closely resemble self-loathing than anything remotely close to thankfulness. 

   So why even be thankful for those things?  Because for some reason, God cares enough about us to not leave us where we are.  He wants us to change.  To grow.  To become the people He has designed, planned, and intended for us to be all along.  Sometimes I feel so far from that person it gets utterly discouraging.  But I know He cares enough to keep working on me, and not leave me on the dusty shelf in the bin marked "Mission: Impossible". 

 And that is quite enough to be eternally grateful for.