There has always been the banter back and forth about when to put up a Christmas tree. Only in December. The day after Thanksgiving. A few weeks before Thanksgiving. And anywhere in between. I am a first week of December kind of gal. But the purpose of this post is not about staking claim to the right time. It’s about rushing past both Thanksgiving and thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving. The time of the year to reflect on all that we are thankful for. Yet, for some reason, this year my heart is quite burdened. While I truly am grateful for so much in my life, my heart can’t seem to break free of bearing the burden of so many close to us that are traversing through challenging times. Cancer, illness, wayward children, suicide, financial hardships, addiction, bitter relationships…and all of that is just within the walls of my circle of friends. Mingle in the sinful, divisive climate that bathes our society, and you have cause to feel the weight of the world.
As we gather together over the coming days our minds will naturally reflect upon all that we have to be thankful for. And while it is important for us to reflect and remember that we are truly blessed, while we need to remind ourselves that we indeed have much, will we remember the challenges of this life? Will we allow our thoughts to go back to the tough times? Will we give thanks for those valleys? For the struggles? For the life lessons learned through failures, tears, wrong turns, and mistakes? For us to truly say that we give thanks in all things, we must look at those times where the Lord was at work and call them good.
Life in the Van 