Thanksgiving

“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