LIFE AT 63 - THANKSGIVING 2014

Ive been wanting to write for a few days now and been thinking about what to write and how to write it.  The last 3 months or so here in the St Louis area have been different to say the least.  Racial unrest, political unrest, people unrest.  Just a mess of unrest!!  Its hard to stay away from the fray when it is in your face constantly. News media wont let it die, politicians wont let it die, and the people themselves wont let it die.

What Ive seen in the last few weeks leading up to the latest of the unrest, has been a growing hatred. It was so strong that it finally came to a head this past Monday night.  The small city of Ferguson MO, a suburb of St Louis, literally exploded into racial hatred and fires, gun shots, police and firemen shot at, police cars overturned and set on fire, minority owned businesses burned to the ground.  The total amount of destruction totally amazed me.  Ive seen Facebook posts that call for killing of this person or that person.  Ive seen posts that say they are thankful they are white or thankful that they are black, or other just literally despicable things.

I never in my life EVER dreamed that I would see what Im seeing.  I remember thinking when I was a kid that in the year 2000 I would be 49 years old!!  That seemed SO old at the time.  I think I was probably 10 or so.   That year seemed for very far off.  HA, here it is 2014 and the world has changed so radically its almost like living in a nightmarish dream at times.  Why is there such a racial divide? Why is there so much hatred?  There is an answer.

I read a post recently by an NFL Player Benjamin Watson, and he was reflecting on the whole Ferguson issue.  I was impressed with the whole post, but the last paragraph in particular nailed the whole thing.  I will paraphrase what he said.  He said he was encouraged and this is what he said,  "Its not a SKIN problem its a SIN problem."  Indeed it is.  Unfortunately the world is full of sin, we are born into it, we live with it, but the good news is God has provided us with a fix for that.  Its called Jesus.  Jesus died for our sin, our sickness, and really everything we need.  He is able to transform our hearts, our minds and our bodies.  There is only ONE catch.  We MUST ask! The solution is there, we just have to ask for it.  The unfortunate part of all this is, most wont ask.  The hatred is so strong, the racial divide is so very deep, that people are blinded.

So what are you thankful for today?  Health? Job? Family?  These are awesome things to be thankful for.  Im so thankful and grateful for my health.  Those of you who have been reading my blog, KNOW that God healed me from cancer, and Im forever grateful for that.  (Im still doing great, and still healthy)  While thinking about other things, I have so very much to be thankful for.  I have an awesome family.  We live as an extended family.  My daughter, son in law, and grandson live with us.  We are so privileged to be able to watch our grandson grow up.  So thankful for the opportunity to have the kids here as well.  So thankful for a new house, (old but new to us), that is large enough for us to be comfortable in with 4 adults, 2 dogs, and a baby.

SO, we have a choice on this one day of the year that we give THANKS for what we have.  We have a choice on this THANKSGIVING.  We can choose to not hate.  We can choose to love.  We can choose to forgive.  We can choose to be THANKFUL!!  Will YOU choose to be THANKFUL?  I have chosen to be thankful.  Ive chosen to stay that way.  Kinda THANKS-LIVING!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!