A Celebration of Gratitude

Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday of mine. First off, any day where football, turkey, and sweet potatoes are staples has a great place in my heart. Aside from the Thanksgiving essentials, something has always appealed to me about a day to just celebrate what we are all thankful for. Gifts are fun, sure. But Thanksgiving removes those from the equation altogether. It's like people aren't even given the chance to be thankful for material things but only those that actually make the holiday special (football, turkey, and sweet potatoes, of course).

But seriously, in the face of a society that is constantly attempting to take away our state of thankfulness, it is our job to maintain that sense of gratitude. Black Friday deals began in my little town at 6 PM on Thursday. Despite what any salesman will tell you, the first step in a selling process is not to satisfy a need. The idea is to make the customer realize a need in the first place.

Unfortunately, we are constantly allowing our culture to tell us what those needs actually are. Don't get me wrong, I love the deals to be snatched up on Black Friday. I, myself, am particularly proud of my new drill. My point is that our priorities tend to be incredibly misplaced.

For my wife and I, our first Thanksgiving in our new home was spent with a visit from both of our families. We relaxed, played games, threw the football, cleaned house, ate, and even had a family-wide game of basketball. What a fantastic holiday. Obviously, we had a great time.

During this particular holiday weekend, I have had the privilege to spend some time reflecting. In addition to being incredibly thankful for my lovely wife and supportive family, I am grateful for what the past year has brought our way. My wife and I have bought our first house, taken new jobs, and joined a new church. I find myself thinking about the friends we have been blessed with in our new town (who may or may not be reading this blog for the first time - hey, guys!).

The journey to where we are now as a couple has been unbelievable and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I am very thankful for the life I have been given to live. I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Stay classy,

Andrew