Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

It seems like such a simple word, yet it holds so much meaning.   It’s a time to gather with friends and family and perhaps reflect over the year and the goodness that God has bestowed upon us. Sidebar: I’ve never seen a movie or TV show that had a Thanksgiving theme episode where everyone went around the table and shared what they were thankful for…..did any of you do that??? We would share with family and friends what we are thankful for in casual conversation, but never around the table.   

It seems that as I grow older (gasp!) I’ve been seeing things in a much different way.  For several years we acknowledge Thanksgiving but we also never really made a big deal out of it.  By that I mean, we didn’t go into the big fuss of making an elaborate meals or a special day out of it.  For example, yesterday we had a normal breakfast, simple soup for lunch, and stir fry for dinner.  Mom and I relaxed most of the day because I wasn’t feeling the best; Dad was working outside because the ice-storm broke a lot of our tree limbs.  (We were actually supposed to be in NY for a wedding and Thanksgiving but my health hasn’t been good, so we decided it wasn’t really a good idea to travel in case I would have needed my doctors’ close by). 

I’ve also believe that we don’t need (and shouldn’t need) a specific holiday to be thankful or share with others what we are thankful for.  We should be able to be thankful every day and be conscientiously aware of Gods goodness and provisions.  This holds true especially for me for the past few weeks. 

ELECTRICITY!  Our recent ice-storm on 11/15 knocked down a good bit of the area’s electric poles.  Some people in the town above us were out for 3 days; ours was unfortunately out for five….yes, FIVE days.  It turned out the circuit board that lead to our division was completely broken and Dominion Power had to repair it.  We were so cold.  There were days when the outside temperatures were warmer than our house!  We were wearing layered clothing and wrapped in so many blankets.  Finally, on 11/20, we got our electricity back.  We were so Thankful…..very thankful.  It made me realize how simple things such as electricity can be overlooked as something we fail to give thanks to God. 

NEW Chiropractor:  I was going to the same chiropractor for years and felt some difference it I need some holistic interventions (sinus, stomach issues).  When my back started to flare up again at the same time I got whiplash from the accident, my old chiropractor couldn’t seem to get me feeling “good again. He also told me that people normally don’t from whiplash.  I decided to stop seeing him because nothing was helping.  A couple of friends of mine recommended this new chiro to me and after much prayer, I decided to go ahead and try him out.  After the first session, this new chiro released so much pressure from my back and especially my neck.  He told me that I had extremely tight muscles near my neck area which could be one of the causes of the pain and not just the whiplash itself (even though the spinal MRI does show injury to that part of the neck).  He also said my back was “uneven-like”, that to an untrained-eye, it could be mistaken as scoliosis….he has been doing treatments to help re-align my back and legs and he said I should have less back pain soon.  I already feel some difference and each treatment I go to, I feel a difference.  God’s so Good.  I’m so Thankful!  

It’s still a battle for me every day to fight with chronic pain, cognitive difficulties, and much more.  But God’s love and mercy is always here, and for that I’m THANKFUL.