Happy Thanksgiving!

I was thinking last night, at the thanksgiving church service...I'm not sure another Holiday so perfectly captures what it means to me to be a Christian. We are, in fact, Christians for our own sake, because we need grace, love, forgiveness, understanding and peace. God doesn't really need that from us, I don't think. I believe we're called to be Christians because our existence depends on it. And it does our hearts good to give thanks for all we have, to recognize all we have been given and not merely earned.
 
The pastor read off this list of things we should be grateful for...shelter, (except for the homeless I suppose, family (except for the orphans or the single people), food (except for the hungry), a job (except for the unemployed)...and I got a little irritated, momentarily. These are all things that NOT everyone can be grateful for, not everyone has these things, nor should they be expected to. That doesn't help those of us without children, a home, a job...but we didn't earn air, or sunlight, or water. These things are life, and if you're grateful for nothing else (lord knows I have my moments!) be grateful for the chance to experience the very gift of living. To have lived at all is a gift.