What I’m Thankful For

Thanksgiving isn’t until Thursday, but for us it starts today.

We’ve got plans with some friends on Thanksgiving itself, but this afternoon the loose-knit group of creative friends who have sort of adopted us will be having their annual Thanksgiving party. We did this last year, and we had a blast, so we’re looking forward to it.

We’re a small family unit, and we don’t have a lot in the way of extended family. Also, admittedly, it’s hard to put down roots in an entirely new place, and even after being here two years now, it’s still a process. We’ve gotten to know a lot of people, but there’s a difference between knowing people and feeling like you belong with a group of people. So having friends at the holidays is pretty important to us. This artist’s group has given us perhaps the greatest sense of belonging so far (although being a bit of an introvert, there are still times I still struggle to feel like I fit), so I’m looking forward to celebrating with them–even though it’s not actually Thanksgiving yet.

All that being said, lest I keep rambling off until I forget what it was I was saying…since Thanksgiving essentially starts today for us, I thought I’d reflect on some of the things I’m thankful for. And obviously, the first on the list is friendship–people who embrace you as family, even when you aren’t really.

Here are some other things I’m thankful for:

• I’m thankful for people who speak the truth, who shine the light on my faults. I wouldn’t know what to work on without those people to point out my blind spots.
• I’m thankful for people who love without condition. I’m finding that this is actually a rare quality.
• I’m thankful to have people in my life who don’t see things the way I do. I love learning to see the world through their eyes.
• I’m thankful to live in a community that celebrates and supports creativity, where people encourage you to be creative, rather than feel threatened by it.
• I’m thankful to live in a community that celebrates diversity. Even though diversity can be a scary concept to some, I know it is the diversity that allows outcasts and misfits like me to be accepted right along with everyone else.
• I’m thankful for the many ways I have seen God’s provision in this past year, and how I’ve literally been able to watch my gifts make room for me, as the Scripture says. Even though I get impatient at times, I see God positioning me to answer my deepest prayers.

 

There’s more I could put on this list, but I find it interesting to look over what I’ve put down and recognize that with the exception of the last item, all the other things on this list have something to do with people. I think beyond anything else, I am thankful to God for the people He has placed in my life.

So I’m going to celebrate this Thanksgiving by hanging around with people. With a thankful heart.