O Give Thanks

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness,
Come before His presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord, He is God.
It is He that hath made us and not we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving.
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful unto Him and bless His name.
For the Lord is good,
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endureth to all generations!

This is the time of year for reflections. TV and cable will soon bombard us with the Top 100 this and Top 100 that of 2008. People tend to look back over the past year and assess how well our expectations from the previous year have been realized. I like to think that reviewing the past helps me to orient and fixate on my future.

I typically do not do resolutions, mostly because I've never been able to successfully pull one off! I think I've got this personality flaw that rebels against being held to a standard or rule. If you tell me I must do something, even if it's in my best interest, I'm likely to do the opposite. I know, what are you gonna do? Sue me!

So, instead, I choose to focus on where I am at any given point in time; if I'm complaining or annoyed about how something is going, I figure out one or two small things I need to do to change it. I detest complaining and complainers; when I get dissatisfied about something, this becomes my call to action to make a change.

Looking back over the past year reminds me of how much further down my journey I have come. There have been ups and downs, and I ain't gon' lie, there've been times this year that I have wanted to throw up my hands and say, "I done." But even in the midst of the chaos, y'all, I've been blessed! As bad as some things have been, they could've been worse and I'm still here. So, there's hope.

I am taking this opportunity to say thanks and focus on my many blessings and acts of grace God has provided for me this past year. I thank Him for all that he has done, and like the song says, even if He never does anything else for me, I wanna say, Thank you!

Thank you, God:

for life

for the sacrifice of your son Jesus

for my son, who is my joy and reason for living

for my family

for loving friends: Chez, Vernon, Pam, Kacy, Shella, EB, Jason, Derrick

for wonderful blog friends: TrueUrbanQueen, MsKnowItAll, Maggie, Mary63

for ongoing employment and employers who recognize and honor the family

for a vehicle that works and satisfies my need for speed

for a roof over our heads

for laughter and the pursuit of happiness

Thank you, Lord:

for allowing me to see the election of the first African American president

for the process of change that I will be able to experience first hand in coming years

for online shopping (you know I can't STAND crowds or shopping, just on general principle)

for reducing the price of gasoline, enabling many of us to travel much easier this season. We are now at $1.55 per gallon.

for my place of worship and a leader who follows You daily and guides us in Your truth

Thank you, Father:

for common sense (everybody ain't able!)

for peace of mind

for the ability to live in the moment and enjoy the pleasures available to me NOW, rather than pining for the unknown future. I know that You are working THAT out!

for the gift of forgiveness. I'm sleeping much better now!

for that beautiful man I saw this morning in the coffee shop! That skin, those eyes, deep dimples and long locs have been a constant source of imaginings all morning.