Veggie Tales Thanksgiving Wisdom

One of my Facebook friends had this as their status on Thanksgiving:

Veggie Tales says it best:

"I thank God for this day,

for the sun in the sky,

for my mom and my dad,

for my piece of apple pie!

For our home on the ground,

for the love that's all around,

that's why I say thanks every day!

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart;

I'm glad for what I have,

that's any easy way to start...

For the love that He shares

'cause He listens to our prayers,

that's why I say thanks every day."

I was struck by the simplicity and complexity of this song sung by Junior Asparagus.  It seems like the basic things that we should all be thankful for, but when I thought about the things mentioned in this song, I was reminded of these things and others related to them that I am truly thankful for this Thanksgiving while living in Germany.  I will expand on my thoughts regarding these things and encourage you to do the same in your own life and situation.

I thank God for this day

This is something that Brian and I do regularly every night before we go to bed.  We alternate who prays every night and always start with thanking the Lord for another day of life.  This sometimes seems like such a normal thing, but it truly is a miracle that we are able to function and breathe and thrive every day!  I take for granted each day that I am given here on earth, but I should constantly be thanking God for surviving another day on his wonderful creation!

For the sun in the sky

This one was so easy to be thankful for yesterday!  We had a beautiful day in Germany and could even see the majestic mountains across the lake!  I must remember that I need to not only be thankful for the sunny, gorgeous days, but also the rainy, dreary days because the earth needs those too.  I seek to rejoice in any type of weather and praise the Lord for his complex systems that keep this world turning.

For my mom and my dad

This one should continue on by saying, "and my sisters and my brothers and my grandparents and my aunts and my uncles and my cousins and my friends" (except that probably wouldn't have worked very well in the song!).  Moving to Germany has made me more aware of staying in touch with all of these people and supporting them from far away.  Brian and I feel so much support here from our families and friends through cards, letters, e-mails, e-cards, Skype calls, and visits.  We are blessed to have people who are willing to figure out Skype just to be able to see us, people who spend 98 cents just to send us a card, and even people who are willing to spend hundreds of dollars just to visit us!  We are truly blessed by our friends who are willing to stay friends even from far away when visits aren't possible.  I am thankful for friends who still want to do a Bible study together even though we have to do it over Skype.  We love and miss everyone back home!  Despite that, we have established a community of people here who are able to encourage, help, and embrace us.  We are blessed to have this group of people that has shown us God's love without even really knowing us.  We hope to get to know these people more through the next two years.

For my piece of apple pie

This is probably the hardest one for me to be thankful for!  One of the hardest things about adjusting to life in Germany is the different kinds of foods that are here and the staples that I can no longer get.  We have had to completely adjust the way we eat and come up with different things to eat.  We have had Kraft Macaroni and Cheese brought over from the States.  Despite missing the things that I am used to, I need to remember to be thankful for the fact that I still have food to eat and the health that it gives me.  We are not starving and I must remember to be thankful for whatever is put before me.

For our home on the ground

This one encompasses so much right now!  I am thankful for a job for Brian that allows us to live in a foreign country for a few years.  I am thankful for a booming company that can make it easy to move across the ocean financially.  I am thankful for an empty apartment that was already rented and furnished by the company.  I am thankful for an apartment bigger than the one we had in Belleville.  I am thankful for quiet neighbors.  I am thankful for a nice town to live in.  I am thankful for a beautiful lake and mountains (when they come out!) to look at.  I am thankful for coworkers that are willing to help us figure things out when we can't read German.  I am thankful for a smooth transition to living here that should soon be done.  

For the love that's all around

We have found love from many different people this year, but I especially am thankful for the love shown to me by my husband.  Brian knows it is hard for me to be away from family and the things that I am familiar with, but he has shown me the most unconditional love that I could ask for.  He is patient when I am on the phone late at night talking to someone in the States.  He buys me special things at the grocery store that he knows will make me happy (and perhaps gain a few pounds!).  He lets me cry when I miss something or feel alone here.  He pushes me to do things out of my comfort zone (like speak German and go down a mountain in a cart!).  He goes to an orchestra concert even though it is not necessarily his favorite thing.  I am truly loved by my husband and I am so thankful for him!

For the love that He shares

'cause He listens to our prayers

God and his faithfulness is definitely the thing that I am most thankful for this year.  It was one year ago this weekend that we told our families that we would be moving to Germany.  There were lots of unknowns from then on, but God has always shown us his faithfulness by orchestrating everything to work in His plan.  I tend to worry a lot, but in this move, I knew that He was in control and had everything planned ahead of time.  He truly has shown His faithfulness by the fact that we have lived here for almost 4 months and are thriving where He has placed us.  He has answered many prayers in the last year also.  Not only for us, but also for those around us.  It is amazing that we have someone watching out for us that we can talk to on a personal level even though He is the Creator of the universe!  Wow!

And so...my Thanksgiving resolution this next year is to say thanks every day as Junior Asparagus does.  

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart!