Psalm 103:1-2 — Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Well. Here we are then. Thanksgiving. It’s a time to take stock of all the reasons we have to be grateful. “Forget not all His benefits.” Yes, but really who can remember them all? I thought I’d start listing some of the things that give me reason to give thanks. I promise I have reason to be grateful for every one of the things I have listed. Many of them are only examples of broader classes, and many stand for hundreds of things. Who, for instance, could count the books…?
I stopped after about one hundred, reminded of Matt Redman’s song “Ten Thousand Reasons”!
You can read my list — it might tell you some things about me — or jump past it. But how about starting your own?

Air Conditioning, Apples, Babies, Bacon, Bananas, Beaches, Bears, Bible, Books, Brotherhood, Car, Cameras, Carols, Central heating, Choir, Churches, Clothes, Colleagues, Computers, Courtesy, Democracy, Dogs, Dolphins, Doughnuts, Ducks, Eagles, Education, Elephants, Emergency Services, Employment, Evangelists, Eye Doctors, Faith, Family, Flowers, Flying, Forgiveness, Freedom, Friends, Giraffes, Healthcare, Hearing, Hospitals, Ice Cream, Imagination, Inspiration, Jesus, Jokes, Joy, Justice, Kindness, Laughter, Libraries, Love, Marriage, Memories, Missions, Music, My lovely Myra, Night skies, Opera, Open minds, Orchestras, Owls, Painting, Pasta, Pastors, Potatoes, Preaching, Rabbits, Rain, Resurrection, Salvation, Sculpture, Seminaries, Singers, Singing, Sleep, Story tellers, Sunrise, Sunset, Squirrels, Teachers, Tears, Telephones, Tigers, Trees, Trumpets, Universities, Voices, Violins, Water, Websites, Whales, Wind …

There are so many reasons for Thanksgiving. Of course the most important all center around Jesus and his sacrifice — our salvation and redemption. But sometimes I think we can over-spiritualize. God “gives us all things richly to enjoy”. Many of my reasons for thanksgiving are not spiritual at all — just things that give me simple pleasure.
I am thankful for so many things that flow from relationships — from the love of my sweet and beautiful Myra to the pleasures of working with skilled and good natured colleagues.
I am thankful, too, for many things to do with possessions. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that there’s something wrong with enjoying those gifts either … Hold them lightly, but enjoy them.
I am thankful for the wonders of creation. Not necessarily majestic mountains or mighty rivers. We live in a little development where rabbits and squirrels play, and ducks swim. Sunrises and sunsets are startlingly beautiful. The varieties of rainfall make beautiful music.
I hope you have as many reasons for thanksgiving as I do. Bless the Lord, O my friends, and forget not all my benefits!