Everyday Thanks

Tis the season here in America to prepare for Thanksgiving.  I love this holiday.  It can bring up thoughts of pilgrims, natives and supposedly the first Thanksgiving.  I love this holiday because it is a day put aside to spend time with family and friends, without the material trappings of Christmas and even Easter.  It is a day to give thanks to God for the blessings in your life.  I, on a daily basis, thank God for so much.  But I tend to remember to thank him for the things he has done for me.  There are so many blessings all around that go unnoticed, and unthanked, at least by me.

I am always thanking God for family, my health and moments of small miracles. But lately, because I have been spending so much time out in nature, looking through a camera lens, it is very hard to ignore the beauty in His creation.  I have seen lately, the panoramic view of the valley from on top of the Abbey hill.  I have seen the perfection of a wild mushroom up close, spontaneously growing from underneath a beautiful tree.  I have seen a single flower, soft petals surviving amongst the barren limbs of bushes.  I have seen squirrels bustling around the park, collecting as many nuts as they can find to store away for the winter.  OK, I really haven't thanked God for the squirrels.  They are still a sore spot for me.

While out enjoying the visions of nature, if I am really at peace and not burdened by nagging thoughts, the other senses can take over.  I can hear birds chirping, the creek waters rushing, and one of my favorite fall aromas, wood burning in near by houses.

As I get ready this week for family to arrive Thursday for dinner, I am sure I will be far too busy to contemplate and enjoy the riches our world has to offer outside.  So this is an early Thanksgiving prayer.  Thank you Lord for every thing you have done for me.  But especially, thank you for this habitat you have provided for all your children.  And thank you for giving me an awareness of the miracle of a flower, mushroom, and the blasted squirrels.