Giving Thanks

I know. It isn’t November. No Thanksgiving meal is being cooked. June just started but I can’t stop thinking about giving thanks.

I am thankful for books to read. I’ll probably give you readers another list of suggested books soon. The words and stories and ideas and thoughts have challenged me, dared me, and reminded me.

I am thankful for books to write. Yes, I have started book number seven. I remember March 1996 when we didn’t know if my brain would ever allow this to happen.

I am thankful for friends I can join for breakfast, for healthy conversations, for moments of laughter, for prayers of desperation, for ball games, for business planning, for nothing but just being together.

I am thankful for words of kindness. Spoken by people who care, people who love, people who forgive.

I am thankful for people who say, “Thank you.” Yes, there are some people in this world who actually thank others expecting nothing in return. Sincere, genuine appreciation.

I am thankful for another anniversary. Number 34, if my math is correct. My wife, our children, our families, and our friends are all true blessings in my life.

And you? Think of something to be grateful for today. Tell someone, “Thank you.”

Don’t just dwell on the negatives. Don’t just depend on the news reports. Find beauty beside you. Notice the friends who really care. Give thanks on a sunny, hot, busy day in June.