Lord, I'm thankful

It's a cold morning in Lacombe, Louisiana. The sun escaped it's lodging early this morning. It will be a colder night.

But through it all, my heart is warmed today. Oh, it's Thanksgiving, and someone, somewhere, somehow decided we should be thankful today. But I truly am grateful today to my Lord, who has seen me through most of another year.

David writes this (from the Message): No doubt about it! God is good -- good to good people, good to the good-hearted. But I nearly missed it, missed seeing his goodness. I was looking the other way, looking up to the people at the top, envying the wicked who have made it, who have nothing to worry about, not a care in the whole wide world.

You're all I want in heaven. You're all I want on earth. When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful. Look! Those who are falling apart! Deserters, they will never be heard from again. But I'm in the very presence of God -- oh, how refreshing it is!

Today, I'm thankful God has been patient with me, with my half-filled attitude and my half-filled praise. I'm thankful for our relatively good health (Knees and back screams into the night, but nothing vital is harmed at the age of 56). I'm thankful for great kids, who fought off early role modeling and turned out fine. I'm thankful for grandkids who are smart, beautiful and healthy. I'm thankful for the old dogs who have made my aging together with them so wonderful. I'm thankful for my churches and the people who make them go.

And I'm especially thankful for my Mary, who saved me when I needed physically saving and presented me as whole as she could to the Savior who saved me emotionally and eternally.

The Bible says, again from Psalms 73, When I was beleagured and bitter, totally consumed by envy, I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your very presence. I'm still in your presence, but you've taken my hand. You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me.

More than anything, I'm thankful to God for the live I've had, up and down, sideways and unsure, but through it all, He stuck with me. That's something to be thankful for.

Have a blessed one, if there are readers out there.