Thankful: The Basics

Thankful: My Quiet Family Being Thankful in Grief by Sara Nelson

Thankful: The Basics

I’m a thinker. I can’t say all my thoughts are profound, but I’m constantly thinking.

And I’m very mindful of what God has given us.

Every night at prayer time I make sure we thank Him for a roof over our head. I understand that at any moment we could lose that because of weather, job change, or something else. I haven’t forgotten taking a bus trip through Mexico and seeing huts. Having the local tour guide tell me I was rich because I lived in America. And the reality hitting me that I was an American girl taking a cruise, on a guided bus tour for entertainment, arguing with a local that I was not wealthy.

I thank Him for food. I’ve ministered in services when kids were acting out and I was told it was in part due to child hunger. This wasn’t in another country. It was in my county. When I run the water longer than I should, I turn it off thinking about places that don’t have wells.

I’ve watched kids talk about how their peers make fun of them because their clothes are hand me downs or don’t fit. Honestly almost every piece of clothing we have comes from 50% off day at the Salvation Army. But at the end of the day, I still have clothes. My family is ready for winter because we have coats, boots, mittens and hats. So many don’t.

We try to make a difference through giving to families, charity, and organizations. We try to have as many kids as we can come through with overnights and meals.

We want to be part of a solution and not blindly take in the things we have.

We are thankful for everything, including the basics most forget they have.