A Giving of Thanks

It’s hard to hold, the tension of this world.

So much pain and horror in the Middle East, Ukraine, the Horn of Africa. So much heartbreak in our own homes, holidays reminders of who is no longer with us, or just a long, lonely year that we can’t wait to flip the calendar on.

In the middle of all of the hard and broken, how can our hearts hold on?

What is there to be thankful for?

Plenty.

We can slow ourselves to notice the things around us that are good, warming, and true. Family and friends who are still here and close. The cuddle of a puppy or a little child on our lap, the roof over our heads and a spray of jet stream in the sky.

There is always something to be thankful for. Do we have eyes to see?

Wherever Thanksgiving meets you this year, know I am thankful for you and what you bring to this world. I am thankful for the God who loves me, and who loves you too. And I am thankful for the small pieces of beauty we get each day: Sunlight in the morning, breath in our lungs.

In the tension, we can grieve, but we can still give thanks.

There’s always grace.