There was a time when I was more “religious” than I am today; however, that does not change the fact that I am still a Christian.
In honor of Thanksgiving and in light of the recent events in my life (with the passing of my 88-year-old grandpa from colon cancer), I have decided to send up a prayer for my family and friends.
Dear Lord, I come before you today with a heavy, and somewhat broken, heart. Heavy because of the anxiety and fears I keep bundled up inside, and broken-hearted because right now, I am missing both of my grandfathers.
Let me thank you for all you have done for me and my family and my friends.
Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with Mike, my husband, who loves me and who cares so deeply for me that he admits that he cannot live in a world without me. The truth is, I couldn’t live in a world without him either, so please bless us with as many years together as possible! Thank you for my dogs who fill me with unspeakable joy when I see their excitement in seeing me. Bless their little hearts and bodies, for they are my children and I love them greatly!
Thank you, Lord, for my parents, Jerry and Virginia, who have to love me because I’m their daughter, but who love me because I am their daughter. Thank you for blessing me with such wonderful, supportive parents, who would give me their last dollar if I asked for it. Thank you for blessing their lives with love and laughter. Thank you for giving them the heart of a care-taker and for blessing them with the means to take care of their parents (my grandparents)… especially during the times when things were darkest before the dawn. Please touch their bodies and bless them with health; give their weary bodies and minds rest and peace; replenish their strength and rejuvenate their souls with happiness and joy!
Thank you, Lord, for my grandparents – James and Dorothy, and W.A. and Eula Mae – for being such wonderful role models and for showing me how marriage is part give-and-take and part unconditional love. Thank you for giving me the extra bit of time with both of my grandfathers before you decided it was time to take them home to be with you. And thank you for this little extra bit of time to spend with my grandmothers while they are still on this earth. Let me learn more from both of them!
Thank you, Lord, for my brother, Tim, and his wife, Suzanne. Thank you for blessing them with a good life and a loving marriage and friendship. Thank you for allowing me to share my life with them and theirs with me. Thank you for Tim, who allowed me to fight some of his battles with the fierceness that only a loving little sister could possess. And thank you for Suzanne’s willingness and strength to help take care of my grandpa as he battled cancer these last few months.
Thank you, Lord, for blessing my brother with the three most wonderfully, beautiful daughters in the universe. Thank you for my nieces – Kyra, Kalista, and Kami – who have brought such an immense joy and love into my life that I wish they really were “my girls”. Thank you for blessing their lives and filling them with curiosity, love, laughter, joy, kindness, and pure innocence. And thank you for my ex-sister-in-law, Keisha, for without her I would not have those three bundles of joy to keep me entertained! Bless her and her husband’s life with many year of love and laughter!
Thank you, Lord, for my in-laws, Don and Joyce, who have been a source of support and love to both me and my husband. Thank you for blessing their lives and for keeping them safe. Thank you for my husband’s grandmother, Maw, without whom we would be homeless. Thank you for her kindness and willingness to open up her home to us at a time when we needed it the most. Thank you, Lord, for my husband’s aunt, Susan, who has provided me an ear to talk to and a shoulder to cry on. Bless her, Lord, with love, laughter, and health. Thank you for her children (my cousins) – Dallas and her husband Dave, and EJ – whom I am blessed to have in my life. They are not only family, but friends, so bless their lives with love and laughter. And bless them with lots of healthy and happy children!
Thank you, Lord, for our extended families, some of whom I was just blessed to have met. Bless them all with unspeakable joy, health, and lots of love! Fill their lives with laughter and bundles of blessings!
Thank you, Lord, for my friends both near and far, for those friends with whom I’ve lost touch but reconnected with through Facebook, and for those acquaintances-turned-friends that I’ve connected with through Facebook and this blog. Thank you for blessing me with their friendship, so please bless them in all of their endeavors. Bless their lives with love, laughter, joy, and happiness! Thank you for my work friends, who have made me feel welcomed from day one. Bless them with success in all they do, both in their personal lives and their professional lives.
“In all things, give thanks”… so THANK YOU, LORD, for everything you have done for me, for everything you are doing for me, and for everything you have yet to do for me… for without you, I am nothing.
And finally, Lord, bless the people of this world and extend your hand of mercy to everyone, whether they believe in you or not. Give this world a peace that passes all understanding, a joy unspeakable and full of glory, and fill it with your amazing grace.
Amen…
Whatever your faith, your religion, or your beliefs, please say a small Thanksgiving prayer sometime this week. And regardless of the fact that I may not personally know you – yes, you, whoever is reading this – know that you are in my thoughts and prayers this Thanksgiving!
May God bless you, your family, and your friends this Thanksgiving season!
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