An Attitude of Gratitude

I’ve been thinking a lot about Judah’s first (and only) Thanksgiving. He had gotten what we thought was some kind of cold which was incredibly dangerous for a baby with his underdeveloped lungs. I was scared, stressed, and holding my baby boy oh so close. I remember we ate our Thanksgiving dinner out of styrofoam containers that Brendan had managed to grab from the Ronald McDonald House. And I just wanted to get back to my baby. 

Fastforward two years later and Thanksgiving looks much different. Judah is gone. Arthur is here. We spent the day together, just the three of us, cooking, watching the parade, playing and cleaning and laughing. I made a point today to make it a good day. There were times I had to quickly distract myself to keep from crying. I want Judah here. I want him to have joined in on all of this. But, he didn’t. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

This verse gives me pause. Today is a national holiday of thanks and yet we are quick to leave our meals early to run over strangers to grab the best deal. I know it’s important to get gifts for loved ones but is it important enough to run out early on those same loved ones instead of spending time with them?

I’m not trying to guilt you, merely trying to get you to think on this a little. As a mama who has lost a child I can tell you that spend time with someone is the most precious gift you can give. At the top of my Christmas list (and my wish list, every day) is the want to spend more time with Judah. And then to spend time with Arthur, because the months are going by oh so fast. 

Judah’s life taught me to live with an attitude of gratitude. Literally every breath he took was a gift. Every smile, coo, snuggle, and held finger was an even more extravagant gift piled on top of that. We often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and forget to be thanful for what we already have – a roof over our heads, food to eat, family and friends to love. 

This Thanksgiving, genuinely take the time to be thankful for those around you – tomorrow is not guaranteed. And in the end, will you be more thankful that you ran out to get them a gift or that you sat down, talked, laughed and spent time together?