I think we are all so busy and involved in our own lives and our own selves, we forget to say thank you to PEOPLE... yes... those VERY people you are thankful for. Have you told them lately? Even if it is something little. There is a children's story that I just absolutely fell in love with this year. It is called "The Thankful Coat" by Karen Harvey Cox. The story goes like this:
Once upon a time there was a little boy named David. David had a very nice family, and he lived in a very nice house. David had a fun little sister, named Sally and a wonderful dog named Rusty. He had nice toys to play with and he went to the very best school. There was just one thing that David did not have, he did know how to be happy. Nothing seemed to make David smile, no matter what his mother, father, sister and even Rusty did, David was always unhappy.
One day David was sitting on his swing in the backyard feeling sad. A little girl walked right into his yard and walked up to him and said, “Hi, my name is Sandy, have you seen the Thankful Coat around here?” David thought for a moment and said, “A Thankful Coat, I never heard of anything called a Thankful Coat. No, I haven’t seen one around here. What exactly does one look like anyway?”
“Well”, said the little girl. “It is the most wonderful coat in the whole world. It makes you feel happy when you wear it.” David asked, “What color is it?” “Oh, it is the color of the rainbow”, said Sandy. “Come on, let’s look together to see if we can find it and then you’ll know what one looks like!”
So Sandy and David looked everywhere.
They looked behind the house.
They looked behind the bushes.
They looked all over the backyard.
They looked and looked and looked.
Suddenly, they heard such a commotion. All the birds, bees, bunnies, squirrels, butterflies, chipmunks, and even David’s dog Rusty were gathered around a large oak tree. There it was hung on one single branch of the oak tree…a beautiful coat. It was the color of a rainbow, just like Sandy had told him. The animals made beautiful sounds that sounded just like lovely music.
“See David, here it is the Thankful Coat”, said Sandy. “Come on, let me put it on you and you’ll see it will make you feel happy.” So, David held out his arms while Sandy slid the coat over his shoulders and then he put one arm in one sleeve and then the other. David said, “Gee this coat feels nice, and I feel better, Sandy.” David felt very thankful all of a sudden.
David was thankful for the beautiful blue sky.
David was thankful for his new friend Sandy.
David was thankful for his fun dog Rusty.
David was thankful for his family.
David just felt very thankful.
The more thankful David became, the happier he felt. The happier he became the bigger his smile grew. David’s smile grew bigger, and bigger and bigger. Happy Thoughts popped up everywhere in David’s mind. David had found the secret to happiness, to wear the Thankful Coat.
David was especially thankful to Sandy. “Sandy, thank you so much for this coat, I feel happy for the very first time in a very long time.” Sandy looked at David and said “I must leave now David, so that I can bring this coat to other unhappy children.” “What?” David said in disbelief. “How can you take this coat away, Sandy, I don’t want to go back to being unhappy.”
Sandy started to smile and said, “Why David now that you know the secret to happiness is being thankful, you can make your own Thankful Coat to wear every day. Your Thankful Coat can be an imaginary one and you can make it any color you would like it to be. Every day when you get up you put on your imaginary coat and start to think of all the things that you are thankful for and you will be happy.
David thought for a minute and he said, “I think my thankful coat would be blue with gold buttons.” Sandy said, “Now isn’t that fun?” Tomorrow morning you will get up out of bed and put on your imaginary Thankful Coat and think about all the things that you have to be thankful for, and you will be as happy as you are this very minute.” Sandy hugged David and said, “Goodbye, David I am so glad that you have the secret to being happy now.” David said, “Sandy I am so glad that you found the Thankful Coat and that you taught me how to make one of my own.” After Sandy left, David got out some paper, pencils and crayons. He drew a picture of a coat and colored it blue and made the buttons gold. He hung the picture in his room.
The next morning David got out of bed, he looked over at his drawing hung on the wall, and he put on his imaginary Thankful Coat. To his happy surprise he started to feel happy. The more thankful he became the happier he felt. David’s smile got bigger, and bigger and bigger. David’s life became full of happiness and he remained happy for the rest of his thankful days.
**********************************************************************************This story is amazing to me. It goes to show just how far optimistic mind sets can take you in life. I tend to be very analytical and will admittedly say, I tend to say I want more than I need. However, this year, I have decided to REALLY examine Thanksgiving and bring a more spiritual importance to my home. Of course I could be doing this because of my children. However, I am doing this for my entire family and for my own being.
You see, I do not say thank you enough to the ones that I am thankful for. One of the most important things I am thankful for, I rarely speak thanks go: My Lord. NOTHING in my life is mine. NOTHING belongs to me. NOTHING is labeled "TABATHA ROWDEN". It is all God's... all of it. Even my husband and my children. My Lord can take back what he let me enjoy at any time He desires or needs. However, I forget to tell Him just how THANKFUL I am. So... I am writing this to put it out there, but I am also writing this as if Jesus had an email!
Dear Heavenly Father,
I am so very thankful for all that You have blessed me with. I am thankful for the small things and the big things equally. Lord you know my OCD habits; therefore, You know what is coming next: A list. Here is my list of what I am thankful for this year.
1. Electricity: I am so very thankful for electricity. Of course it makes life so much easier and keeps my family warm in the cold and dark nights and cool in the warm and sunny days. But most important, electricity gives me more time. By not having to build a fire and gather fire wood, I have more time. The question is, am I using this time to SHOW YOU how thankful I am for electricity? This extra time allows me to play with my children and share Your Holy word with them. This electricity allows me to talk to my husband is so far away and give him words of encouragement and hope. Electricity allows me to watch movies and documentaries that teach me more about Your love. Electricity allows me to access the world from the comfort of my own living room. Do I do this all the time? No- I am imperfect. Social networks and reality television tends to consume most of this "extra time" that you have blessed me with. I apologize for this Lord. You have blessed me with so many things that make my life "easier" and give me more TIME... but do I show you my thanks in the TIME you have blessed me with? No... I will try harder Lord.
2. Technology: I am so very thankful for technology Lord. I am thankful for the internet, email, Facebook, cell phones, and satellite television. You have blessed me with these things to fulfill Your purpose! I now have the internet and access to so many philosophical documents related to Your Holy word. The internet has enabled me to be "schooled" on your Holy word without having to travel away from my family. Email has given me the opportunity to reach all of those I know at one time. I am even blessed with the button of "reply all" or "send to all contacts" that gives me the chance to say THANK YOU to those that I love. Facebook has done the same thing... I am able to show my family pictures on a regular basis and post the amazing blessings you give me throughout the day. Cell phones have given me the opportunity to serve You without missing my husband's inspiring phone call or hearing his voice. Satellite television has given me the chance to relax and watch inspirational movies or worship you any time of the day through Christian programming and music channels. Do I use these things in the manner all the time? No- I am imperfect. I post what I ate for lunch on Facebook, but do I post how thankful I am just to EAT!? No... Do my words inspire the ones I love? Do I regularly email my friends and family and share with them how You are working in my life? No... I do not. I take advantage of these things you have blessed me with. I do not USE them to fulfill the purpose that You gave me. I apologize for this Lord. I promise to show thanks by working harder to use these blessings to fulfill my purpose.
3. Friends: Dear LORD I am so thankful for such amazing friends. I am thankful for the friends I have had and are no longer involved in my life. Those are the friends that TAUGHT me something. They taught me how TO live, or how NOT to live. They taught me how to stand up when I get knocked down or sit down when I put myself up on a pedestal. Those are the friends that have shaped who I am today. I am thankful for the friends that I do have! They may only be a handful, but they are EACH important to me. From the most basic of friends (sometimes known as acquaintances) to the bestest of friends... the ones that I can call when I haven't talked to them in days, months, or YEARS and we pick up right where we left off (cough cough- Amanda Crouch). On this topic of FRIENDS... I am thankful for my neighbors!!! They are the most amazing people in the world. Diana and Aaron have three daughters and are just amazing people. I am thankful for their family and the amazing experiences we have shared living next door to one another. Ian and Yoshi... they are just the most amazing people I have ever met. I instantly felt like I could be myself around them. Yoshi is the most amazing mother in the world... I am thankful for her... she is a saint and SUCH an inspiration. Ian is the most intelligent man I have ever met! No really... that man is so smart. Together (both of my neighbors) I am literally sandwiched with love! It makes this awful place feel like home. I just hope I can use these relationships to further my own purpose that You have given me! I am also thankful for the friendships that are coming. I know you will continue to bless me with relationships to come and I just pray that you also bless me with the knowledge to use these relationships to glorify You.
4. Family: Lord I am so thankful for my family. Not just the family that you have blessed me with and the ones I grew up with. I am thankful for the family that You have given me in Your name: My church family. These people have LITERALLY saved my life! Without them Lord, I would still be lost and wandering. Without the family that I have shared my life with, I would not be who I am today. My mom and my dad have taught me so much. Has my life been perfect? No. Were they the perfect parents? No. But the fact that they struggled OPENLY and HONESTLY showed me the TRUTH of hard work! Lord without their openness and blunt struggles, I would not know the truth of having to work for everything that I am given in this life. I would not know the truth behind persecution and condemnation. I am also thankful for my cousins, my aunts, my uncles... these people are the ones that have taught me how important LOVE is! My cousins were more like brothers to me (yes public- I have ALL boy cousins). BJ was my biggest brother for so long. I watched him try to open doors his entire life and get smacked in the face. Lord you NEVER LET HIM GO! I am so thankful for this! I am thankful for my aunts... my uncles. Each one has shown me something I have cherished throughout life. My grandparents- they were the glue that held our family together and kept us so close. I just pray Lord that we stay close as I can already see many of us drifting away. No matter what- I am thankful for everyone I consider family: Whether it be my family in Christ or my family of blood.
5. My life: Oh Lord I know this sounds cliche, but I really mean it. My life is far from perfect. We are nowhere near rich or outranking the intelligence pole. My marriage is full of trials and hardships and my children disobey me nearly every time they take a breath. I don't have the nicest house, things, or a brand new vehicle. Everything in our house was worked for and has a story behind it. I am so thankful for this growing legacy. My children are the most precious little things you have ever given me Lord and I am so thankful for each minute I have with them. I know I get frustrated and my patience is quickly lost throughout the day. I know I lose my temper and I get upset about things they do. I just pray that you give me the wisdom to know the difference between them annoying me and them disobeying Your word.
The most important person in my life that I am so thankful for: My husband. He has shown me the MEANING of a HOLY marriage. We have GROWN together, building this legacy. We have helped each other through so much. I thank You Lord for blessing me with my very own "David" to slay the Goliath beasts that I encounter throughout life. He really is the most amazing person I have ever met. I feel so blessed and I am so thankful to call him my best friend, the father to my children... and most of all... My husband.
I am thankful for all of this in my Lord, my savior's name, Jesus Christ: Amen.
Now... I must go and tell all of these people how thankful I am for them... and start using the things I am thankful for to serve a PURPOSE!
PS::: I challenge you all to start the "Table of Thanks". Buy a cheap white table cloth. Every year, write on that table cloth with sharpie just what you are thankful for. Have your guests write on it, your kids, and your husband. Keep that cloth and put it out every year! You will be so blessed to see the things that change and remember the things that haven't.
May God bless you all on your day of giving Thanks this year <3
No comments:
Post a Comment