Thanks

When my parents split up when I was a kid they decided to make sure that we had strong holiday traditions with both sides of my family. This became Thanksgiving with my mom and Christmas with my dad. My Thanksgivings consisted of playing dress up in the crawl space under my grandma’s house, decorating countless turkeys with herbs, cranberries and orange slices only to tear it to shreds moments later, and writing and putting on plays for the women in the family while the men congregated to watch the Lions lose.

But now…this Thanksgiving was different…beautiful and new…but different. Because last Thanksgiving was a moment when bitter got blasted into my sweet life. Four days after our traditional perfect celebration we found out about my grandma’s cancer.

This stronghold of smiles and memories was suddenly shocked into a panicked confusion and things started to fly out of my hands. But as I have said in past posts, I have been blessed beyond compare this year…and so I want to take a moment thank you for what you’ve meant to me in this past year and difficult season.

Chances are if you’re reading this you have impacted my life in this year.  I cannot put into words how thankful I am for all the people that have invested in me and loved me back to health. My heart was so weary and burdened a year ago…but now it feels clean and new: scrubbed with the steel wool of adversity and washed in tears. I wish I could take the time to list everyone out by name, but it would take days.  So instead I just want to thank you. You know how you have helped me, or maybe you don’t. But I know that God has put ever person in my life there for a reason and without all of you I wouldn’t be who I am.

Thank you family.

Thank you friends.

Thank you strangers.

Thank you Father.

May we go into this new season with our heads held high in the assurance that we enter as conquerors and are stronger than we can imagine with Christ at our side.