Thanksgiving

                It is a season that reminds us to be grateful.  It is also a season full of memories.  I hope your memories of this holiday are happy ones!
                I was remembering my children's prayers.  They always included expressions of gratitude.  There is something about the purity and innocence of children (all the time, but especially when they pray) that can hold so many lessons for us!
                Each of my children went through a stage of  repeating the same prayer for days--maybe months--even though their prayers were original compositions of their own.  My daughter, Meredith, was about 3 years old, and still unable to pronounce her R's.  I can almost hear her little voice as I remember this oft-spoken prayer of hers:
               "Favah [Father], thank you fo [for] we food and we lothes [clothes] and we dwahs [drawers]."
               Our drawers--someplace to put "we lothes"!  It had never occurred to me to extend my gratitude to a gift I took so completely for granted!  It made me realize I am, indeed, grateful for our drawers! It was just a little off my radar until Meredith called it to my attention.  This is a good time of year to try to recount all the blessings we take for granted and, thus, omit from our prayers.  I think any time is a good time to aim for the humility and simple faith of a child.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."  (Luke 18:16, 17)