30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Days 7 & 8

When I woke up this morning to rain beating sideways on my windows and
the wind whistling, I was thankful for a warm house to live in,
keeping me out of the elements. It's such a simple thing to think of,
being thankful for a roof and 4 walls, but when you stop to think what
life would be like without them, it doesn't seem so trivial. I know
there are parents that face having their kids on the streets with them
in harsh weather conditions, or living in their cars, or going from
shelter to shelter...it's an unseen reality.

When my boys and I ran to the grocery store and came home with food
that barely fit in our fridge and by the end of the day had eaten 3
square meals plus snacks and treats in between, I had to pause and
think of those who wonder where their next meal is coming from. Those
who have to choose between eating or being warm...or making one meal
last 3...who always now the pangs of hunger. Oh, how thankful I am to
have food to eat and offer my children!

My prayer going into this season of thankfulness, and the holidays and
the winter season, is that I would look for opportunities in my
everyday encounters with people to be generous and compassionate, to
learn to extend my hand to help where I've been blessed with much and
in doing that, my children would learn gratefulness and generosity
towards others. This takes time, and looking beyond my own immediate
wants in order to see clearly to meet someone else's very really need.

Lord, thank You for Your good gifts. Teach me how to live generously
with everyone I meet and not take for granted or hold too tightly to
the things I have.