“Give thanks to the Lord,
call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” – Psalm 105:1
As
most holidays do in Honduras, Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year. Maybe I do
not realize the holidays approaching because there is no change in weather (at
least not one that involves snow), Hondurans do not celebrate all the same
holidays we do in the States, or there is not a nauseating amount of
commercials selling the holidays. Whatever the reason is, I find myself kind of
having to convince myself that it is the holiday season. Thankfully my daily
devotional book helped steer me in the right direction. Around Thanksgiving all
of the entries were themed around ‘gratitude’ so I got to meditate and reflect
on what I am thankful for. One titled, “An Act of Gratitude,” offered these
thoughts:
“We know both by way of Scripture and by the impulses
in our hearts that God is to be thanked. There is no way to understand the
profound implications of His grace and to remain thankless in our attitude…
God’s grace is deeply personal, but it is not private. Scripture tells us
repeatedly that God desires a reputation among our families and among the
nations… His goodness is too good to keep to ourselves.” (from, The One Year
walk with God Devotional)
I
could not agree more with those words. I find myself captivated by what the
Lord has done for me and just wanting to shout my joy to the world! I love
telling stories to my friends and family that highlight God’s greatness. He
blows me away, and I just want others to experience that kind of impact. After
reading this particular devotional my mind instantly began thinking about the
praises of thanks that I have for my Heavenly Father. Across the country, on
November 28, people sat around their dinner tables with their friends and
family, and shared what each one was thankful for. Now it’s my turn. So pull up
a chair around my festively decorated and deliciously adorned table, and listen
to the things that I could never stop thanking the Lord for blessing me with:
My mom, dad, and sister. These people have immensely
influenced the woman I am today. They have shaped me throughout the years into
someone that they can be proud of. I am thankful for my mom always listening to
my trials and patiently talking me through them; for teaching me how to live
the life I love with the right people; and for accepting all my quirks as her
‘very special’ daughter. I am thankful for my dad lavishing me with his unconditional
love; for being honest with me whenever I need it most; and for supporting my
love of baseball and ice cream. I am thankful for my sister for never
succeeding in killing me when we were younger; for being an inspirational image
of self-discipline and perseverance; and for forgiving me for the countless
times I have made mistakes. I would not be at this stage in my life without
their support and love every time I’ve taken a risk and embarked on some new,
crazy endeavor. (I look forward to that same support with whatever lies ahead.)
A place to always call home.
I have been
a bit of a nomad in the past years, but I have always been comfortable enough
in a place to call it home. Home is where the heart is and my heart has found
peace and rest in all the places I’ve chosen to live. I love being able to go
home home to Colorado and still find my family and bed there. I will always
have a home in West Michigan as long as my college friends stay there. And now
I have a new Spanish home in Honduras. I become attached to each group of
people that I surround myself with in these places, and they slowly all turn
into family. I thrive on and appreciate that comfort.
My friends. Isn’t it so cliché that as
the years go by you figure out who your real friends are? The crowd thinned
after high school, then again after college, and even more frighteningly while
in Honduras. I am sure of the people that I call my closest friends. I can
trust and depend on them. They bring out the best in me in very different ways.
And they bring with them countless silly memories and the hope of even more
ridiculous ones in the future. My love for them is deep and although I’m not
really sure how we got to be such great friends, I know the Lord handpicked
every single one of them for me.
Silly material things. (I do not intend this
section to make me come across as materialistic and/or high maintenance. I just
really really appreciate the things on this list.) I can survive without a lot
of the luxuries that I would find in my house in the States. In fact, I don’t
even realize most things that are ‘missing’ from my Honduran life. However,
there are, and will forever be, a few things that I genuinely miss and send up
extra prays of thanks to God whenever I encounter them. Soft things: carpet,
bathrobes, comforters, fabric softener, couch cushions. Dish washers and
washing machines. Paved roads. Cute shoes and dresses. Hot and pressurized
showers. Running water that I can drink. Coffee shops.
My education. I am a teacher so my life
revolves around education, but I am very thankful for it. I can complete simple
tasks such as read a book, write my name, and communicate with people. I have
been blessed to learn a new language and travel the world putting it into
practice. I learn more and more each day from the material I have to teach my
students or what I hear other teachers doing. I am surrounded by a lack of
education here and I am painfully aware of how limited people can be. My
options are endless with the education I grew up with and I never want to spend
a single day wasting it.
My job. I am lucky to have a job
that pays me sufficiently. I never feel like I have to budget, live pay check
to pay check, or go without. More importantly, I am fortunate to have a job
that I love. I get to fulfill my calling by serving the Lord and teaching
children at the same time. It is not common to be able to praise God frequently
in the work place. I am surrounded by encouraging and supportive co-workers (a
special thanks goes to Kara and Lenny who also decided to come back for a
second year – I could not survive without them) who listen to my struggles,
give me advice, and rely on student-humor as much as I do to get through each
day. I am also blessed to work in a place where my business and social lives
mix regularly. That may sound like a nightmare to most people, but I truly
enjoy getting to know the other teachers and all my students on a deeper,
personal level.
My students. They deserve their own
category because of how much joy they bring to my life every single day. Even
when I do not deserve it, they shower me with hugs and love. Their precious
giggles and toothless smiles, their tiny hands fitting into mine, and their
squeaky voices struggling with English, light up my life. I can never seem to
get enough of how cute they are! I feel like I learn more from them then they
probably learn from me. They teach me patience, forgiveness, simplicity, and
youthfulness. We spent a lot of class time in November talking about things we
were thankful for. On our last day before break I had them share what they are most
thankful for with, what else but the traditional hand turkeys! Here are their
responses:
I
want to leave you with this thought that also came from my devotional. It
reminds me that all my actions should be a demonstration of my gratitude to the
Lord. I would not be able to say “thank you” for any of the things without the
love and mercy of our Creator. He is in control of it all and can take it away
as easily as he gave it to me. I would rather be continually praising him than
hiding all those wonderful things like a secret: “Thanksgiving is good, but
thanksliving is better.” – Matthew Henry
