The married life
When I was in my 20s, I was traveling home with my roommate from a ski trip in North Carolina. We were on a four-lane interstate when it began to snow. There was a large Mack truck ahead of us in the left lane.
The road became slick, and suddenly the truck jackknifed in front of us. My friend was driving, and she quickly spun her wheel sharply to the right to avoid hitting the truck.
She braked hard, and we went flying off the road into a ravine, the truck beside us. As we plunged downward into a ditch I exclaimed out loud, “Jesus help us!”
I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst. I thought I would either wake up in a hospital or I would have died. But then we hit the bottom of the ditch and the car stopped in a pile of grass. The truck came to rest next to us. A second driver had been in the truck bed sleeping and was awakened by the jolt.
We were all shaken up, but everyone was fine, not a scratch on us.
My roommate turned to me and said, “We were spared because you insisted on going to church this morning.”
It was a Sunday, and since my friend was not Catholic she didn’t feel a need to go to church that day. She and her aunt tried to talk me out of going, but I was adamant. Whether or not that was the reason we were spared, we both knew it was the Lord who protected us.
We were alive! Life is such a gift! We can’t take it for granted. Thank you Lord for life!
When my father was in and out of the hospital in his final years of life he frequently expressed appreciation for all the care he received from doctors and nurses.
He frequently commented on how grateful he was for all the care he was given. He thought that people should show their gratitude more.
In return, nurses used to tell us that our father was their easiest patient because he was so kind and always showed his gratitude.
Knowing how much my father suffered, this made an impression on me. He could have focused on his pain, his humiliation, his fears, his trials; but instead he chose to be thankful.
“In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes 5:18)
Thanksgiving is a good time to remember to be grateful: for life itself, for those who help us in life, but most of all we should be grateful for the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ. No matter what our circumstances, God loves us, and this is cause for rejoicing.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16)
A song we sing at church sums it up:
“Give thanks with a grateful heart.
Give thanks to the Holy One.
Give thanks because he’s given
Jesus Christ, his Son.”