Thanksgiving thoughts

Happy Thanksgiving to all, even if it may be “different” than any you’ve experienced before. If there’s an empty seat, fill it with happy memories, thoughts and prayers.

“What would be an adequate thanksgiving to offer God for all the joy we experience before him because of you? We do what we can, praying away, night and day, asking for the bonus of seeing your faces again and doing what we can to help when your faith falters.

May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers.” From 1 Thessalonians 3 The Message

A song and a strong prayer that you will encounter a spirit-filled day today and every day as we put our burdens aside to concentrate on the One who is all to us:

(15) All Sons & Daughters - Brokenness Aside - YouTube

"And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!" Isaiah 30:18 (AMP)

Double dipping: With an Al-anon slant: I heard this said recently and thought a lot of Al-Anon people could relate: We were a happy family; until we weren’t.

With the theme being gratefulness, the gift you give yourself, think on this; if your gratefulness doesn’t include yourself, it will not be complete.

They say a heart of gratitude leaves no room for complaining. As I began writing this, I was grieving with a mom, someone who lost a daughter too soon.

We had something in common, both praying for one daughter in particular. Both were the same age, 32, mine is still alive; hers is not, but she is grieving well, just as she loved well. My tears mingle with hers and I find gratitude for another day of hope. Another day to pray, try to work my program, and try to pay forward the hope of the program, also. As I was finishing this devotion this week, my 64-year-old brother died. His diagnosis and death came within twelve hours of entering the hospital. I was not prepared. How can we learn to live ready for loss?

 

David Stein-Rast said, “Grateful eyes look at whatever it be as if they had never seen it before and caress it as if they would never see it again.

Someone else said, “Beginning today treat everyone as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the love, care and kindness you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” (anon)

If we have lost family members, thank God for those we have left, if we are in pain in one part of our body, thank God for the parts that don't hurt, if we don't have an abundance of provision thank God for what we do have.

God, I thank You, for placing me in my family of origin, such as it is, and my Al-Anon family. I am grateful for Al-Anon is truly the gift I give myself as I look forward to the meetings, the people and what they share. God has given many of us much favor, pain, dysfunction, yet great love and even laughter, to get us through our days.

I pray a double blessing upon all who are here today. If you are hurting, I pray that God binds Your wounds and sorrows, if you think your dreams won't come true, I pray you get a new dream, if you are missing a loved one either through death or estrangement, I pray you go back in your memories and find a good one to dwell on and thank God for that precious moment. It may be that moment you held that sweet child in your arms for the first time and thought your heart would explode with love and that the world had stood still, you were so blessed.  We never thought they might grow up to be an addict.

When I think on gratitude, I acknowledge God’s sovereignty, and I can accept with serenity that even though things in my world are out of my control, they are fully in God’s control. Today, I’m grateful to have a family, a home, and Al-anon. This program and the friends I have made through it have enhanced my life and for that I will be forever grateful.