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Chatting with my mom this morning, we touched on thankfulness… thankfulness for things for which we often forget to be thankful. I can’t help but share.

Lately, she’s had a little extra time to think and time to read. That’s when she came across our friend Scott Finch’s most recent post on his wife’s Caring Bridge. Remember Dana? She’s our sweet friend who recently went home to the Lord after surrendering to her battle with cancer and saying goodbye to her husband and three grown boys.

Scott has had time to think, too. Christmas without his wife has been a challenge. Same for Dick Wyma, for Jon with his mom, for our friends Taylor & Jennifer who lost their teenage son, for those who have lost their jobs, are dealing with wayward kids… the list goes on. Here is what Scott shared this week from a chat with one of his boys:

“The conversation turned to peace.  I have found it difficult, if not impossible, to be “troubled” and have peace at the same time.  What Wes said next stopped me in my tracks, physically and spiritually.  He said, “Dad, you know what the peace of the Lord has done for me?  The Lord’s peace has given me Freedom to miss mom and Freedom to enjoy life at the same time”.

So powerful – that gift of peace. Powerful enough to soothe the agony of unspeakable loss… to dominate shared space with “troubled”.

When Mom read that to me, we talked about thankfulness. Thankfulness for a gift like peace. Thankfulness for the things that just seem normal at certain ages (like health). Thankfulness for things expected, things unnoticed, things disregarded. Then we talked about how easy it is to forget about all there is for which we should be thankful … and how we so quickly move on to what we want/need next.

A topic worth contemplating after exchanging gifts that seem to so quickly lose their luster.

Like Wes and his dad opting to consider the gift of peace and its accompanying freedom, might we slow down enough to marinate in thankfulness. If we take the time to recognize the gifts, to acknowledge and offer gratitude, it might help us to be content … a little less quick to move on to all the things we want or need.

For when we are thankful, our eyes are not on ourselves. The never-ending lesson that can make the life of a teen (and a mid forty-year-old) a bit less dramatic a lot more content.

Thanks Scott for faithfully sharing … and thanks for walking the road with me.

-Kay

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