GRATITUDE

Often times it is probably difficult to offer our gratitude and thanks to those whom have been the real influence in our lives. I suppose reaching the 80 year milestone in my life has caused me to reflect back and to recall those individuals in my life that really played a major role in my developement over the years. The difficult part is that most of these have passed on to a greater reward and I most likely never thank them sufficiently for what they meant to me. The other evening Mom and I sat talking about gratitude and those to whom we have tried to help along the way. I recall being seventeen years old before ever having a father figure in my life. That person, ( my Father in Law) took me under his wings and really helped me to develope into a person seeking all the right things in life. I probably never expressed to him how important he was to me in my life. If you could go back to a person who has gone on and could whisper in their ear, what would you say? Recently, I expressed to family members of a dear friend of mine how much their Dad had helped me to become a stronger person of faith. Did I ever tell him? That seems to me now to have been the most important thing I should have done. Why wait till it is too late. I think we often take gratitude for granted. I often see this in our younger generation who seem to have the Me attitude and just expect people to go out of their way to help you.

One of my heroes of this great nation was Abraham Lincoln. I often reflect back on his words and how he addressed situations of gratitude. Today, yes today, there are those in our country who are critical of this nation and those who have sacrificed so much so that we might have a better life. They fail to recognize they are drinking from wells that others have dug with sweat and tears.
Mr Lincoln said, "We are blessed with bountiful fields and healthful skies. To those bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from whence they came, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature they fail to penetrate and soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God."
"Needful diversions of wealth and strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not rested the plow, the shuttle or the ship. Population has steadily increased.
"It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemly, reverently, and greatefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people.
If you are like myself, there are probable numbers of individuals who need to be told how important they are to you. I have begun this approach to let individuals know how much they are appreciated and to thank them for their influence on my life. It is not about Me, its those that walk beside me working together to make this a better society so others can come to know and recognize that Almighty God is in control and he has placed a responsibility on each of us.
Lets be more grateful and do less criticizing and do everything within our power to save this great country.
We are spending entirely too much time dwelling on the mistakes of the past rather than shouldering the responsibilities that we have. We cannot change what has already happened but we can change the future by applying ourselves to the task that lies before us. In all that we do, always do everything for the Glory of God and always asking him to help us become the people he would have us to be.