Gratitude

It was supposed to be our first major holiday here in Oklahoma and I spent it sick. The weather was cold. The wind was blowing. And I had been cooped up in the house for three days straight. I watched as our first-Thanksgiving-in-Oklahoma plans blew down the street with the leaves that had accumulated in our front yard. I was pretty sure we had reached an all-time low. Then my husband turned to me and said, "I bet Wal-Mart's open. Wanna go?"

It's one of those moments I'll reflect back on in a couple years and smile about. Instead of spending the day at my in-laws (who sent some delicious food over!), which was the original plan, we were stuck sitting on the bed side-by-side staring out the window. We started a game of "What you do want to dos?" And after several "I don't know, what do you want to dos", I suggested we play a game. I raided the game box and decided on Scattergories.

The next 60 minutes were spent chuckling as we went through all 12 lists of categories. I had never noticed how few 'J' words there were until list 8. We argued over certain words, letting Google be the final judge. I won by three points. Kelly claimed it was because he allowed me to count 'Dolphin' as a type of fish. Did I mention he was winning most of the game? But it hit me afterwards that one game of Scattergories had transformed our boring afternoon into one of those memories I'll keep close to my heart in the years to come. We finished the day by watching a few episodes of Swamp People and then fell asleep discussing frog legs.

Since moving to Oklahoma, I've learned a lot about myself. I CAN live without Starbucks (who knew?!). Good days and bad days will follow me wherever I go. Life isn't about how prepared I am to handle a well-thought out crisis before it strikes, but rather how willing I am to go with the flow when something unexpected crosses my path. I'm slowly changing for the better. I never would have been able to if I hadn't allowed God to take me down this crazy, beautiful journey. This Thanksgiving made me grateful for one thing: the life God has given to me. All my gratitude goes to him.

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with GRATITUDE in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:15-17