Gratitude is not about circumstances or brokeness, but an attitude that holds true to what is true despite. Four hundred years ago this month, the Pilgrims landed and endured horrible tragedies- death, disease, wrong destination, and so on. They endured as a community and forged the Mayflower Compact. They established a mindset and celebration of Thanksgiving. I know people love to trash them these days, but examine what they went through.
I am grateful for the people, past and present, whose lives have enriched mine and have been kind and steadfast. Through these lonely times of lockdown, I remember them. I thank you for reading this. One quilt blogger said we should not share our blessings because it makes other feel bad. In bad circumstances, we can still be grateful and rejoice with others. I pray for many people, for their specific needs and requests. I am so grateful for that gift. I am grateful for being gifted to make quilts and cards, have the resources to be able to give them away to those who need them and occasionally hear how much it meant to them. I am grateful for the absolutely wonderful people I have met and become friends with through quilting. What a gift and they are such blessings. I am grateful for the folks at Zoom. These are the things I will dwell on despite the brokeness, tragedies, and loneliness. If you need a prayer, reach out and I will intercede for you. I would be grateful to.
Happy Thanksgiving to you!
10 comments:
A wonderful, lovely post! Your profound heart of faith shines thru the words. I am so grateful to have discovered you and your talent. Thank you. Hugs for Thanksgiving Day thru out the year.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Linda! I am grateful for your friendship through the years - ;))
I think Debbie says it all perfectly in her comment Linda, I don't think there are any more words for me to add, the sentiment expressed in her comment is perfect. Beautiful waterolour and I hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving.
Linda, Your post was very warm and touched me deeply. I am very happy that you can share your faith with us. A lot of people are afraid to today. There is so much that is wrong in this world that sometimes I get very afraid. Not only for us, but for the next generation. I worry about what my grandchildren will have to face. All of us can use prayer in their lives, so any time you want to include me, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much for sharing.
Your watercolor is very lovely. I have seen so many beautiful places and wished that I could paint them.
What a gorgeous painting, Linda!! Regarding this statement... "One quilt blogger said we should not share our blessings because it makes other feel bad." That is sad. Whatever happened to delighting in the joy of others?!?!
Our blessings are how we endure hardships. Nice post and lovely picture. Happy Thanksgiving!
Sharing my own take on the "not sharing our blessings" post shared by that other blogger (I read it). When our college-age son was in ICU between Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas Eve with bilateral and nearly fatal pneumonia, we were surrounded by the holly jolly noise and colorful twinkling lights of Christmas preparations every where we turned. We were consumed with worry, scared, fearful, and prayerful, but in no way were we jolly or thinking it was "the most wonderful season of all." In no way did I think that others should stop celebrating in the face of our situation but it made me realize how intimidating and overwhelming it can be when it seems the "whole world" feels one way while yet you yourself are emotionally incapable of joining in. I suspect what that other blogger meant was that we when sharing our plentiful blessings we should also acknowledge, as you did so beautifully here, that others might be hurting or filled with grief, fear, or worry for any of millions of reasons. The pneumonia/ICU/recovery has colored my life in so many ways - we use only white lights at Christmas (hope, peace, calm), I rejoice each day with an abundant and overflowing sense of gratitude for our son's recovery, and I have only the deepest respect and appreciation for those who work in caregiving professions (even more true now with COVID). Thank you for sharing your beautiful watercolor - and yes, there is much to be grateful for even though it might not seem that way at first glance.
Your painting is beautiful and definitely is the vision most of us have when we think of Thanksgiving even though most years the leaves have already fallen.
I am grateful I found your blog and have gotten to know you. You are the type of person we all want for a friend.
It's a beautiful painting and perfect for the season. Lovely sentiments in your post too. I believe sharing gratitude helps the world heal.
This is such a beautiful, uplifting post. It reminds me of things to be thankful for such as quilty friends and spiritual friends. I keep telling myself not to tell God how big my storm is, but to tell the storm how big our God is. I praise him in the storm. It makes us stronger.
Your water color is gorgeous! It is important to recognize our talents and share them.
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