7 Things I'm Thankful For

Here on this beautiful day before Thanksgiving, I wanted to share with you a list of 7 things for which I am thankful.  There are many more, but I'll stop at seven.  Not included is the radical, overwhelming and amazing grace and love of Jesus Christ, which makes all the rest of this possible.  Thank you Jesus!  Here we go:

1)  Every day I thank God for my wife Marilyn and my son Will.  Not just because they are my family, but also because they are my best friends and the people who taught me what real grace looks like when you put skin on it.  I love you guys!
2)  I am thankful for food.  I love to eat, and I really enjoy the communion of sitting around a table sharing a meal with family and friends.  I especially enjoy Taco Tuesdays at Tijuana Flats with our dear friend Lisa Jewett. It's often the highlight of the week!  And tomorrow, with my sister-in-law Carol and her hubby Bill here, and my Mom here to cook, the meal will be one of the highlights of the year!
3)  I am thankful for the home we live in and the neighborhood (Key West Circle) in which that home is located.  You don't know much how it meant to us to find a place where we are accepted and treated like part of the neighborhood, and now over 4 years later to feel like we have good friends here.  Given my circumstances, to able to say all of that is somewhat of a miracle.  Praise be to God!
4)  Words cannot express how thankful I am for all of you who read this blog.  With nearly 110,000 hits in just over 2 years, it has been such a blessing to me.  I am so thankful for all of my old (and by old I mean former, not OLD) youth group members who keep showing me love even though I don't deserve it, and to all of my newer Twitter friends who frequent this site quite often.  I am especially grateful for my surrogate Twitter family- Christie Weatherby, Jason Huffman, Jenn Ganley, Angie Battle, Robert Damron, Stacey Rocque, John Claybrook, Tracee Persiko and so many more- and the love and encouragement they give me each and every day.  You guys rock!

5)  I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to be in the picture you see here.  Being part of this amazing wedding on 11/11/11 reminded me of how much I love and miss ministry in general and sharing in the spiritual lives of friends.  Plus, this is about as much of me as I like to see in a picture.  The top of my head looks GREAT!  :)
6)  I have lots of great friends I am thankful for, but my old buddy Jerry Hanbery is something special.  I am blessed to have him in my life after all of these years.  And as I have said before, his wife Melissa is a candidate for sainthood.  Marilyn, Will and I are so glad they are part of our family.  
7)  And finally, I am thankful for music.  We live in a world filled with noise, but nothing can can bring peace to my heart and mind quite like a great song.  We may differ on what constitutes a great song, but there is some truth to the old saying, "Music makes the world go 'round!"  Every day as I listen to my I-pod and let some of my favorites wash over my soul, I am reminded what a gift it is.  So add some music to your day.  It's so cool that we can use sounds to block out the noise.  Deep, huh?


So there's my list.  What are you thankful for?  


Because of Jesus,