Thanks I am giving

I look at whats happening in the world and how can I not be thankful? 429 people dead in Cambodia after a stampede, 29 miners dead in New Zeal, North Korea going to war with South Korea, people stranded in a blizzard, mysterious disappearance of a college student, the brutal murdering of a family in Ohio and what am I complaining about?

I'm single, I'm alone, I'm graduating, I don't have a job, I'm not in grad school, I'm a screw up, no one wants me, I want my own place. . .blah blah blah. When did everything in my life become about only me?

It's Thanksgiving and what do I have to be grateful for? I think the question is: what don't I have to be grateful for? Right now I am sitting at my mac laptop with a warm blanket wrapped around me and I'm listening to soothing music. I just finished eating pie and playing outside. How ideal is my life? How blessed am I? How undeserving am I of these blessings? Completely.

I have a family that will always love me, that will always take care of me. I have friends that love me, that will always take care of me. I even know almost complete strangers out there that would love me, that would always take care of me.

I need to stop thinking about who doesn't love me, who doesn't want me. I need to work more on loving and wanting. All that I have, all that I am is not my own to claim. I may be "alone" but the beauty of it all is that I'm not really "alone".

I'm grateful, thankful, worshipful of the God that loves me enough to put up with my complaining, my bits of rebellion, my bad attitude, my too often confused and easily impressionable heart. I'm grateful for a Savior that gave up everything, not because He wanted glory, not because of the blessings but because He loves me, loves all of us to give it all.

I turn my face toward the sky, I fall to my knees and I thank my God for the wonderful agency, the wonderful blessings, the wonderful life that he has given me.