Gratitude Day 18...

If I were rich I might get all kinds of fun things for family and friends for Christmas. But I am not convinced that my financial prosperity would make their lives any richer in the ways that really matter. Instead we are...well not poor...BUT NOT RICH for sure. Well, I am rich in marriage, rich in motherhood, rich in love, rich in family, rich in friends, rich spiritually...but when it comes to the worldly definition...I must admit our checking account has...Yes...Gasp...overdrawn...once or twice in our marriage. We have enough and we are grateful. We have some extra and we share. Yesterday I was getting off the freeway on my way to meet our wonderful friend EN...

There was a man on the off ramp holding a sign. As a rule I almost never have cash and it was no exception this time either. I did have something strange. At Halloween I had purchased 4 booklets of Wendy's frosties...(5 small frosties in each booklet). I said I was sorry I had no money. He was so GRATEFUL! Later I stopped at Kohl's to get some small presents for extended family (trying to keep Christmas reasonable this year...no debt!) and Kohl's was having a 50% sale and I had a 30% coupon...which made things...well, what they should have cost to begin with ;) A man was taking donations for a recovery mission. I had no money but I told him maybe he could use these for someone and handed out another booklet. It was a small nothing really, but maybe it will make someone's day a little brighter. I think I will get some $3 gift cards to keep in the car. I want to help and this is a way I could be prepared to at least put food in their tummies. Food can make a lot of difference.

All this started me thinking how grateful I am for my life. So often we are glass half empty kind of people. We want what we don't have and we live in a society that wants MORE AND MORE and there seems no end to some children's Santa lists. With all this wanting...I am grateful for GIVING.

I am grateful my parents GAVE me life! They could have been selfish and not kept me, or had no children and traveled. But NO they gave me life...and then my brother...and then the brothers and sisters that followed they loved life into them, hugged and encouraged each of us...Thank you for my BODY MOM AND DAD.

I am grateful for the faith they GAVE me. Now you can't permanantely give a person faith...but you can foster it in a child. It is their choice as they grow what they will do with it! Thank you for nurturing my faith.

I am grateful for the home my husband GAVE our family. We still owe the bank, but he works hard so we have a good roof over our heads, and I am grateful.

And as we fast approach CHRISTmas...I always think about how celebrating Christ's birth would really hold no significance if there had not been a glorious resurrection. If he had not overcome sin and then death it would just be "another birth"...but because he did, Christmas holds a very special meaning in my heart...

The gift of the wisemen is not the significant gift. But the Gift Christ GAVE, the gift of the resurrection I will forever be grateful for. The opportunity to one day be reunited with loved ones, to wrap my arms around them, could there be a better CHRISTmas present. To the stores and shops I would say... keep your game consoles, your new TVs, your gift baskets, and pajamas...I am going to hug my mommy again, you have nothing on sale that comes close!

Make it a great day. GIVE...the best gifts we can give come from our time. Only YOU can do what Father has given YOU to do...another can try, but they will never do IT quite as good as YOU!