THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR

An attitude of gratitude is always appropriate. Today is Thanksgiving Day, a national holiday in the United States, and we are especially reminded of our history and encouraged to reflect on our many, and often mundane, blessings.

I am thankful for...

• Good health
• The beautiful world
• Weekends so I can eat sweets
• Atlanta Braves- even with the trades of McCann and Hudson and the move to Cobb County (although I have mixed feelings about each of those changes)
• My wife's love for gardening
• Birds singing in my back yard
• A car that won't leave me stranded
• Airplanes- otherwise it would take soooo long to travel great distances
• God that loves me as I am, forgives me when I ask, helps me to be better, and is always with me
• Doctors, nurses, and others who provide good health care for our physical, mental, and spiritual selves
• The diversity of people that I meet everywhere I go
• Cuties and Clementines (of the citrus type)
• Good food and a wide variety of it
• Babies’ smiles
• The Church
• My wife of 45 years (come Dec. 28)
• Two fabulously wonderful grandchildren
• My/our three children
• The wonderful daughter-in-law and son-in-law that love their spouses
• Opportunities to be challenged and to serve
• Coffee in the morning
• Ice cream anytime
• Church music
• B.B. King, “Lucille,” and “the blues” like only they can do it
• Sermons that challenge, teach, and encourage
• Courteous drivers
• Adventurous spirits
• Folks who practice a religion that values head and heart
• Friends who love me enough to tell me the truth
• People who laugh easily
• All the saints past and present
• The daily newspaper comics. (Yes, I still read "the paper.")
• Artists who see beauty in creation that I might miss
• People who say "thank you" instead of "no problem"
• Good customer service when shopping
• A warm bed on a cold night. (I know there are many who do not have that luxury.)
• The smell of popcorn
• The voices of my grandchildren
• A competitive game of ping pong
• Crisp apples with peanut butter or cheddar cheese
• The soulful sound of Etta James or Ella Fitzgerald
• People who don't have to honk their horns for you to know they love Jesus

Jamie Jenkins