“Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year, & then discover once a year is way too often.” ~Johnny Carson

When President Abraham Lincoln declared the first Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, his hope was that we would remember the Giver of all good things. We were in the middle of a Civil War but he still found something to be thankful for in his proclamation when he took note of the “blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies”, saying, “They are gracious gifts of the Most High God.”

We all have much to be thankful for as we close out 2013. Several weeks ago I hosted a survey at the end of my posts asking YOU to answer three questions.

1. Something God has done for you in 2013, what you are most thankful for.

2. What you want to see accomplished in your spiritual walk in 2014.

3. How you and your family will be celebrating the Thanksgiving Holiday, if at all.

As usual, you did not disappoint! Overwhelmed by the response, I quickly realized that even though many had experienced difficult seasons this year, unemployment, sickness or loss; they still found reason to give thanks and praise to almighty God, the Giver!

I thought I would share some of them with you today and tomorrow. Thursday you will be too busy to think of Hope in the Healing! I hope you enjoy. They have certainly blessed me! Then at the end, please add your own!

Beth writes at Messy Marriages, a wonderful resource for anyone that has a significant other! She is most grateful for the group of women who regularly meet to pray for their marriages. They have seen God’s faithfulness through this effort and His blessing in their marriages!

There were awesome friends and readers like Amy @walkhumblywithgod, that said 2013 brought them the ability to forgive themselves. I was especially blessed by that! The top Google search phrase on my blog is any combination of the following: “If God forgives me, why can’t I forgive myself?” And of course I wrote a post on that several months ago, which is why they keep showing up on my doorstep thankfully. I hope it helps in some small way. I only wish they would let me know they were here.

Elisabeth has much to be thankful for this year! She says God showed her a clear path to some health issues she was having and through that they are now expecting their 8^th child, which should make its presence known sometime in January. Praise God!

Patricia, of Pollywog Creek, says He has constantly proved His faithfulness to her this past year.

For Joan, at The Beauty in His Grip, she readily confesses there is so much to be thankful for it’s hard to pin it down to one thing but she chose her husband of 32 years, her best friend. I think she chose wisely, don’t you?

My new friend, Joseph, in Kenya, reports that the Lord helped him to overcome some challenges this year. He has exciting news to share of their work in his area: “Indeed He is a wonderful God! We had also asked Him to allow us to go out and minister His gospel of grace and peace to all at the beginning of the year. Now that the challenges are behind us, He has placed a busy outreach program upon two of our pastors. One will be going to Banita this coming Sunday, and Eldoret, end of the month. Our young pastor will be going to Kericho or Kisii on the 26th. He has also hinted to us about wanting us to open another church about 30 km’s away. We regret that God seems to have had much programs lined for us this year but had to patiently wait for the challenges we had to ease off. Hopefully at the end of the year we’ll file a very successful report back to Him.”

Joseph, I believe God is already pleased! You need have no regrets my friend!

I am so thrilled for my friend Barbie whose husband was blessed with a job recently after three years of unemployment! I can’t imagine how difficult this has been on them financially, emotionally and even spiritually…let me re-phrase that. I think I have the last part figured out. Barbie always gives God praise in ALL THINGS. So even when things were not going her way, even when she did not understand and probably said so, she still gave God praise. He supplied their NEEDS, maybe not their WANTS, but their NEEDS! She shares her story here at My Freshly Brewed Life. Go there! 

This beautiful lady, Cindy, who attends Turning Point Church with me, was recently spared a major heart attack! September 23 of this year she had quite a scare but the Lord stepped in and she is doing just fine today. She is giving God the glory!

Sharon is most thankful for her soon-to-be daughter-in-law! She deems her “precious” and is eagerly awaiting the wedding of her oldest son. Congratulations Sharon! I only have one DIL and she is the “little girl I never had”. Be blessed!

Cindy has the most gorgeous blog, Dwellings, the Heart of Your Home; she shares so many beautiful pictures and ideas on her site. She writes that the Lord blessed her by allowing her daughter, son-in-law, AND their PUPS to stay with her while their house was being built! She loved having them and I can imagine they loved being with Cindy; and I am guessing those pups had a great time exploring this house. You are one cool Mom!

I love how Angel summed up her thanks for 2013:

 She is always Finding the Inspiring.

I could not have said it better Angel.

One reader who just came back to the Lord said it this way, and I just love it, “Being thankful.  What an understatement.  Not only has God brought me through a very hard time in my life,  He has led me straight back to the Church.  He is showing me the truth and blessing me daily.”

Tomorrow we will share some of  our hopes for 2014 and how we will be spending Thanksgiving. I have a few thoughts to share of my own.

Now, how about you? What are you most thankful for this past year?

What has the Lord kept you from or brought you through that you know without a shadow of a doubt He alone had a hand in it?

Has He healed your physical body?

Touched your mind?

Provided a financial need?

Brought home a prodigal?

Sent comfort when it was needed?

Sharing with us today might just be the encouragement someone else is looking for.

Have a blessed Tuesday!