When was the last time you stopped and thanked God? I mean, truly thought about what He has done for you, and thanked Him? For many of us, “all too long” is the answer I’m afraid. Open the newspaper today, or watch your local TV station, and there’s sure to be a story (or two or three) about what people are thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day 2007. Some day–but not today–I’ll write a short history of the US holiday known as Thanksgiving. It’s a fascinating story with parts left out you don’t often hear.

Today, I want to publicly thank my God for the generous gifts He has given to me. I believe there is a Creator God who “hung the stars in space” and who, amazingly, looked down through time and thought about–me. He decided when I would be born, and where, and what unique characteristics would be my makeup, my personality–all of it. So I credit God with ALL of the gifts He has given me.

In particular, I thank Him for the following…

Family has to top the list. I thank God for my wife and my children. They are so amazing. My wife puts up with a lot from me! But I know that we were meant to be together. Over the years two people, as the Bible says, truly become “one”. That is our marriage. It’s not perfect (we are human!)–but it’s as good as it gets here on earth. And my children–what can I say? We have three of the greatest kids on the planet. Sometimes I think my true purpose–the thing God created me for–was simply to be the father of these three great kids. You know, if I die and go to heaven and find out my real purpose here on earth was to be dad to these three great kids, I’ll be a happy man.

I’m thankful too for my mom and dad and my sister. They have always been my cheerleaders and encouragers. What a blessing to have grown up in my family in the countryside of beautiful Upstate New York. I owe my mom and dad my faith in God. They took me to church, and when I asked, sent me to a Christian school where I finished 9th through 12th grades. My mom instilled in me compassion for other people, and my dad instilled in me the drive to be excellent in all that I do. I owe them my eternal gratitude for giving me life, and giving me a solid foundation on which to build that life.

I thank God for my extended family–all of my aunts and uncles and cousins and in-laws. I don’t see them near enough, and when I do, it’s always sweet. What a great feeling it is to “re-connect” with family and friends you haven’t seen in a while.

Speaking of which, I thank God for my friends. Friends are so important. The older I get, the more I understand how the people around you–your friends–are one of the keys to happiness. I have a best friend from college (Lee) whom I stay in touch with. Who knew a kid from Upstate New York and a kid from South Carolina would become fast friends for life? Such is the greatness of our God who orders these things before time began. I also thank God for my church family and the many friends we have there (including good friends Don & Debby). Yes, we attend church to worship God…but we worship Him with our friends. I believe worship is supposed to be done in community–with friends. I am truly blessed with many of them at our church.

I am thankful for the jobs I’ve had where I made friends. Fresh out of college I went to work in Washington, DC. I stay in touch with my former boss Becky–she’s still a friend. I’ve stayed in touch with people from previous jobs I’ve held here in Binghamton (Brent, Bill, Sasha, Russ, Chuck, Bob). I went to work (and now hold a job) with friends from a previous job I held more than seven years ago! I thank God for my job working with a great group of people–some who are old friends from long ago, and some who are now new friends.

Do you see a theme here? I thank God for the people He has put in my life–so many of them I can’t possibly name them all in this brief article. Oh yes…I do thank Him sincerely for material blessings. A house, two vehicles, steady income. But frankly, those are secondary for me. First and foremost, I thank God for the people he has brought into my life that has made living here on earth such an interesting adventure.

If you read this on Thanksgiving Day, or a day or two later, stop and pause, and thank God for the people He has brought into your life.

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