a thankful heart

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since we will soon all gather
around Thanksgiving tables everywhere

i wanted to share
a little something
that's been on my heart lately about

gratitude

the Holy Spirit
has been reminding me that

there are orphans who have no one to love them

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so give thanks for your quirky, imperfect family

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there are women you know
who are being wounded by their husbands

so give thanks if you married a gentle man

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there are hurting men and women
in marriages that are cracking under enormous pressure

so give thanks if the Lord has blessed you with fruitful and healthy marriage

there are folks who are out of work
and cannot find employment

so give thanks for the work of your hands
that provides for your family

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there are parents of very sick children
who live with fear and heartache as constant companions

there are men and women who long to be called mom and dad
struggling with infertility
waiting
hoping
aching
to hold a child in their arms

so give thanks for your healthy children

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there are families
who will mark an empty place
around the Thanksgiving table
because someone they love is a thousand miles away

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or has gone to a place
from which they will never return

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so give thanks
for the ones close to you today
who you can touch
hold
cherish

there are those this week

who will gather around

a stranger's table

to eat food that they could not prepare

so give thanks for the means to buy food

and for loved ones to share it with

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there are those
who do not know the love of a Savior
who have never encountered Jesus
who are lost

so give thanks to the One
Who sent His Spirit to dwell in us
so that we are never alone

Who offers us all
a hope and a future

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may we all be truly grateful
for the blessings we have been given
and may your Thanksgiving this year
be sweet indeed