And be thankful.

There are more than several things to be thankful for on this special Thanksgiving weekend -- here are a few of my favourites.

I'm thankful...

1. ...that the bears roaming our yard at night (and leaving scat on the driveway) do not have opposable thumbs to open the doors of our house and help themselves to our turkey leftovers or our human bodies.

2. ...for a brother-in-law who loves his new-to-him minivan so much that he researches and repeat watches the commercials for the 2011 version of his 'vantisy'

3. ...that I'm unemployed and available to help with the projects around the house -- including pushing our hot tub off the porch this morning!

4. ...for Opi and how hard he works around the house. Though his heart and feet are restless, he is such an example of God's love and wants to share it with the world. I'm also thankful for his stories -- he has a lot of them for his 97 years!

5. ...for my family who has taken me under their wing in this difficult time. We can all feel the pressure and can all wonder why and ask what's next but God only knows. I'm also thankful for kleenex because I've used a lot of it lately.

6. ...for new beginnings. There seems to be an open door for many of them!

7. ...to be home for Thanksgiving! I think it's been close to 13 years since I've been able to enjoy this weekend relaxed at home and it feels good.

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17