thanksgiving_450I’m a person of tradition. I like routine. And over the years, my Thanksgiving daybreak has become almost a morning of habit. My dad and I take off to the woods, and then from a deer stand overlooking a picked bean field or the draw of a clear-cut thicket, I have my much-anticipated, yearly Thanksgiving Praise Service with the Lord. I can recall many of these – the places, the praises, and the condition of my heart during these times of praise with my Heavenly Father.

I remember the year my Granddaddy passed away. As I sat there with my back to the old poplar, my heart was breaking, yet I stayed committed to my annual Thanksgiving practice. And then there are the years that Thanksgiving fell on the heels of a miscarriage. Those times in the tree were some of the hardest for me. As I observed the day of gratitude, I was sincerely thankful but honestly disappointed.

So, what is my Thanksgiving morning custom? What does my yearly meeting with the Lord look like as I watch the sun rise from a deer stand and as I anticipate the day of feasting with my family? It’s simple; corny some may say; perhaps juvenile … but here’s the customary format of my Thanksgiving time of praise with the Lord: I start with the letter A, and I go through the entire alphabet thanking God for a blessing that starts with each letter. Wee! Isn’t that neat, boys and girls? Really. You may be saying, “Well that’s a bit cheesy.” But my friend, this practice has blessed me so over the course of many years. It’s just what I do. It’s my special time of thanking God for His grace and goodness in my life. There’s no question about it; that is how I will spend part of my Thanksgiving Day every year. I look forward to it, and I enjoy it.

Let me ask you … from A to Z, what are you thankful for?

I’m not in a deer stand this morning. I am sitting on my couch babysitting a smoking turkey. (via a new remote thermometer, oh yeah!) I figure it’s okay for the setting to deviate a bit. But I can’t skip my A to Z tradition. It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving for me!

So, here it goes. This post is shared with you, but I’m chatting now with my Father, as I’m overflowing with gratitude for His amazing grace in my life. I’m listing below my alphabet of praises. Of course, I will offer more dialogue of thanks to God than just the typed entries, but here’s a record of my 2015 Thanksgiving list.

My friend, won’t you give it a try? Take a few moments. They will be sweet. And thank God as you reflect through your alphabet of thanksgiving.

A – Aunt Darlene

B – Bro. Joe Davis

C – Creation

D – my Dad

E – Everlasting Life

F – Your Forgiveness

G – My Grands and Greats

H – Thank You for Health

I – Ingrid Ovalle

J – JESUS! He is my Wonderful Counselor, my Mighty God, my Eternal Father, my Prince of Peace! My Savior!

K – my Kitten

L – Linda Moody

M – Miracles

N – Nephews and Nieces

OI’m Overwhelmed. I’m Overwhelmed by You.

P – my Pastor

Q – my Quiet Times with You

R – Rusty Farmer

S – my sibling, Jon Paul Moody

T – Turkey hunting

Uone nation “Under God.”

V – Victory in Jesus

W – clean Water

X – X-rays (and medical advancements)

Y – Your family that is my family – my Christian friends, extended family, in-loves (aka in-laws)

Z – Zoos. I do like zoos. I’ve had great memories at zoos.

Amen.