What I'm Thankful For
Posted on 11.24.2014
What I'm Thankful For
Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you…”
How
many times have you slowed down to pray, and then when you start to
pray, others come to your mind? This happens to me so often that it’s
just a normal thing anymore. Here is why I believe this happens.
We are who we are because of the people in our lives, not the things
in our lives. No one, on his or her deathbed, says, “Bring me my
diploma,” or “Bring me my favorite car and park it outside so I can see
it.” No, we want those flesh and blood people around us, touching us,
giving us something that we can’t define. We want, we need, the mysterious exchange of human interaction.
I’m
thankful for a lot of people I interact with every day. The guys at
the Fitness center I play basketball with, my wonderful neighbors who
look out for Lisa while I’m gone, the merchants in the little town of
Stow, Ohio that know us by our first names and care about our
satisfaction. I know that these people each have a good heart, and I thank my God for all of them.
These days, I see my Mom & Pop reflected in my actions and reactions now more than ever. And why not? They raised me. So, I thank my God every time I remember them. I would not be me without their love and support. They gave me life in more than one way.
I’m
so thankful for the men of EHSS. Each one of them is a leader in their
own life, and they have entrusted me with leading them. They all teach
me and enrich my life every day in different ways. And that applies to
not just the current line-up, but ALL the guys who have been on my
bus. When I think of them, I thank my God.
I
am so thankful for my family back in Newburgh, Indiana, and also here
in Stow, Ohio. I love to just sit down to a good meal and listen in on
all the happenings of the day. Sometimes, we express our joy or
frustrations, but either way, we are there together for each other like a
family should be. And when I think of this, I thank my God.
Nothing
thrills me these days like getting a video text from one of my nieces
or from my nephew. To see them living life and having fun and thinking
enough about me and Lisa to include us by sending a video just warms my
heart to no end. I thank my God that they remember us.
And
then, there is Lisa, sweet little Lee. If I let myself, I could just
become a big ol’ bundle of tears every time I think of her. Hollywood
will never use our lives as a storyline for a blockbuster movie, but I
think we have something very special. The hardest part of traveling is
knowing that I can never get back the days that were just spent away
from Lee. I know my God in heaven will redeem the time and keep us in
perfect peace as long as we keep our eyes on Him. If I EVER retire, it
would not be for any other reason than to be with her every day. I’d
love to see all the places we’ve seen on Rick Steves’ Europe TV
show on PBS. Taking Lee by the hand and worrying about nothing more
than where are we are going to eat our next meal sure sounds like fun to
me. Doing nothing but growing old (and fat) together sounds wonderful!
Oh well, I can dream can’t I? The point is, when I think of Lisa, and
all that we’ve been through together, and all the things we may yet do
together...I THANK MY GOD!
We
are who we are because of life experiences. And in all our living
breathing, going to work, going to the market, every day kind of life,
we are with people. Everyone leaves a mark on you. And you leave a
mark on others, too.
This Thanksgiving, take a personal snapshot of the people you have contact with every day. Then, think ahead 12 months from now.
Live each minute of this next year (Five-hundred twenty-five thousand,
six-hundred minutes) with your heart wide open and ready to measure your
life by moments of love invested in people. That way, one year from now, when people think about you, they will thank God, too.
At the end of the day, all we really have are memories, and making them
with the people in our lives is what living is all about.
Oh,
and one more thing…You dear ones who read these letters and pray for us
and support us by coming to our concerts and taking home our DVD’s and
CD’s…all of you (insert your name here): I truly thank my God for you every time I think of you. And trust me, I do…often!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Oh What A Savior!
Ernie
Ernie
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