Better late and Thankful, than early and... not Thankful.(?)

So, I didn't do the 30 days of Thanksgiving challenge that I usually do... But I was reminded to be thankful quite a bit in this month of Thanksgiving. I was especially thankful this month for my family. I love them entirely too much to just be thankful once a year, but this Thanksgiving was vary special, and I am so glad we got to share it.

Thanksgiving has always held a special place in my heart. I have memories from as early as 5 or 6 years old, enjoying a big family dinner at my Grammy's house with my mom's extended family. I loved everything about the holiday, even then. I love the food, the fact that all Christmas related activities seem to commence the next day. I love a lot of loud people all shoved into one house with the mixed smell of a burning pine log and a cooking turkey. I love the car ride through the streets lined by orange and red leaves.

When we moved to AZ and far from such things as trees and fall, and my extended family, Thanksgiving was kind of depressing for a few years. And last year, I was in another country, so it was very hard to be away from my family on Thanksgiving.

This year, however, was probably the best Thanksgiving I have ever had... and we celebrated on Saturday. My parents, all my siblings, and their families gathered at my brother's new home in Bakersfield. We stayed a few days and enjoyed food, fellowship and general Thanksgiving-ness. I held my niece and nephew close and explained why we celebrate this holiday. I told them how much they are loved and how thankful we are for them. I celebrated my family and was blown away by the faithfulness of God.

I love Thanksgiving.

We had an amazing meal, and an amazing time. I hope I never forget it. I think this was the first year I really celebrated Thanksgiving to the full extent.

I learned something this Saturday. Thanksgiving is not a day. It is an attitude of your heart. It is a conscious choice made to celebrate the blessings in your life. To feast and reflect and enjoy all that God has given. To be truly thankful. It is a special time set aside to do that and only that. I am glad it is such a big event annually so that we can make it so important and special, but we should really be full of thanksgiving each day.

So, today, I am thankful for the opportunity to share on this blog, and all that this blog has given back to me, through you, my readers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Who you gonna call? Ghost Busters?

Who do you go to with your problems? A close friend? Your mom? A sister? A neighbor? Do you go to your pastor? To a counselor? To your spouse?

Today someone said something to me that hurt my feelings. I responded in kind. The conversation that had started innocently enough became a heated argument in short time. To quench the anger, I remember (a little too late) what I learned in a Bible Study about not talking when I am angry. So I ended the argument by leaving the conversation, not as nicely as I should have.

Then, I had a decision. What do I do with this anger? I turned to the closest person to me and began to spew all my justification for my anger. This wise and godly person did exactly the thing that anyone should in the situation; this person told me to shut up.

The truth is it wasn't that third party's business what happened between me and the second party. Counsel from my godly adviser was heeded, but I was still boiling over with hurt feelings and I just felt like I had to tell someone. I knew to tell anyone would be gossip and would likely only escalate my already raging emotional state.

Finally, I did what I should have done initially, way back before responding to the hurtful statement. I went to God.

I was reminded that my job as a Christian is to reflect God to the world around me. When people hurled insults on the Son of God, He responded by dieing for them. He literally laid Himself down for them as they killed Him. Knowing this, I should easily humble myself before a flippant comment.

So, I did the last thing I wanted to do in that situation. I swallowed my pride and apologized. Unfortunately, some damage was already done, and my pride wanted to keep rearing its head. But the situation slowly began to turn around. I still have a lot to learn, and I still have a lot of apologizing to do. But I think we are well on our way in the right direction.

So next time you are faced with an unkind word from a friend, or a bad situation at work, who will you turn to? You may eventually need to seek out advice from a godly person, like my adviser who told me to zip it, but first seek out the Counselor that has been sent to you. He has all wisdom and gives it freely to all who ask.

He is a great listener, and always has the right answer. He never lies, even when the truth isn't what we want to hear. He will comfort you, and then, humble you so you can be perfected.

It's a painful process, but the results are glorious.