So Much to be Thankful for Today

Little causes me to fumble for words quite like a desire to express gratitude on Thanksgiving morning. Whatever I write invariably falls far short. Still, with so much to be thankful for, to write nothing would be worse. And so, as I usually do, I'll write about a few of the thinks I'm thankful for, with no hopes of making the listing even somewhat complete.

I suppose I should begin at home, where my wife and six children bring daily delight. Home also serves as my work place, where I sit on the couch and write fish stories, as well as being our schoolhouse, and at times our own little church. I'm thankful that our home is in a small town in the North Georgia mountains and at the end of a road in the shade of old trees.

I'm thankful for the unique way God allows me to make my living. When I'm not sitting here writing, I'm often in someone's boat, knee deep in a creek or kneeling on the ice, chasing fish, fish stories and photos that help tell those stories. Beyond getting to do what I enjoy (which includes the fishing and the writing and photography), I get to travel to so many cool places and spend time with so many wonderful people.

I mentioned my wife Denise and our children -- Sarah, Nathaniel, Asher, Autumn, Eli and Holly --  and I'm so very thankful for each of them. I'm also thankful for my parents, who helped me find my way to a life of writing fish stories.

I'm thankful for morning prayers with Denise, my Bible, our family hymnals and our dinner table, where we all typically share what we read that day.

I'm thankful for friends and time with them, and I won't even begin to name names.

Some things I appreciate seem so random that mentioning any seems trite, but maybe a sampler is in order, so here it goes: mountain laurel, brown trout, prime rib, dulcimer music, early mornings, baseball, cloudy days, almonds, hymns, dark coffee, waterfalls, smiles, a job well done, gratitude... This really could go on for a very long time.

Most of all, I'm thankful for my salvation and for the fact that because of Jesus' blood shed, I can have a relationship with God that is real and personal. I can talk with Him from the same couch where I sit to write stories or the table where He delivers our food, and I continually see the evidence of His work in my life and in family. My gratitude is specific to the one who created me and loves me and is the author of every good gift.