Thankfulness
By Carol Ilbery
In our house, we have an eat-in kitchen. This, unfortunately, means that my dining room table, since it is also right by the main door, is my catch-all table in the house. So, like most families, we have adapted. Our coffee table in the living room serves a dual purpose when it comes to meal time.
When my youngest daughter was about twenty months old, she would stand between her daddy and me and eat. As she would chew her little bite of food, she would get so excited that she would hug an arm just as tightly as she could possibly manage.
Well, being me, I was a little slow on grasping the meaning of her hugs. I would smile and hug her back. Then the light came on—she was thanking me for her food. After every bite one of us, or just me if Daddy was at work, would get a big hug on our arm.
Then I began to question my acts of thankfulness to God. Do I go to my Daddy and thank Him for everything in my life? Sure, I go daily and thank Him, but do I do it through out the day? You know what I mean. Do I thank Him for the flowers that boom or the sun that came out today? Or even for the rain that fell to water the flowers and grass? Or even the small things—that I wok up this morning; that I have my health; that I have a roof over my head. Or do I just take those things for granted, not even letting the thought of them cross my mind?
I learned from Sarah that evening. Feeding her is a given for me because she needs it to survive; it’s just a given. But to her, it was something for her to be thankful. So I need to adjust my thought process—a home, the sun, my health, the flowers—everything is a gift from God and something for which I should thank Him.
Copyright © June 20, 2006 – Carol Ilbery. All rights reserved.
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