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Fall. It’s deer season, turkey season, quail, pheasant, squirrel, javalina and chacalaca season. Just like the old song, “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere,” it’s always some kind of season, somewhere.
Now thanking season is upon us.
Hunting requires some gear – camouflage coveralls, a hat, gloves, something to shoot with. Thanking is much lower-maintenance, but it does require effort. Being thankful is not always easy. At times you’re not in the mood, or you’re just not in a place in life you’re thankful to be in. Maybe you’ve just lost a loved one and there’s a hole there, an empty place in your heart. It’s hard, but thank anyway.
Maybe you’re a teenager, chafing at the constant grind of school and the restrictions of youth. Your parents don’t understand, girls don’t like you, your teachers are mean. Thank anyway. Maybe you’re my age: no light at the end of the tunnel, bills and bad news that never stop coming, too little time for the things and people you love, an endless stream of responsibilities. Thank anyway. Perhaps you’re older and life is changing in ways you wish it wouldn’t. Your world and your circle of friends are getting smaller. Your kids only call when they need something. Your moving parts don’t move like they used to. Thank anyway. On any given day, there are enough depressing headlines to make the entire Optimist Club leap off a building. There’s hate and crime and evil abroad and at home, until it seems the only way to live thankfully would be to bury your head in the sand and ignore reality. How can we whistle while the world is falling apart? I told you this takes some effort. First, a little perspective. The wheels of this world have always seemed just about to fly off. As bad as things may be now, many among us can remember when they were much worse. This, too – yes, this – will pass. Perhaps my example can inspire you to go speelunking in your mind for your own list of thankful things. I’m thankful for my family: a sweet wife who loves me and three healthy children who honor me. I’m thankful for my parents and my parents-in-law, relatively healthy, on their own and enjoying life. I’m thankful for friends, even though I don’t see them enough. I’m thankful for a job, even though it’s sometimes overwhelming. I’d rather be overworked than unemployed. I’m thankful for wonderful people to work with, to keep the overwhelmingness under control. I’m thankful for a community that rallies to help the needy, embraces its sons and daughters and provides a place to raise and nurture children. I’m thankful for music. I’m thankful for leaves that offer shade in the summer, color in the fall and aerobic exercise in winter. I’m thankful for seasons changing, reminding us that we are creatures of a loving God who controls time. I’m thankful for rain that nourishes the earth and sunshine that warms it. I’m thankful for smells: a fire in the fireplace, soup on the stove, bread baking, sawdust and candles and soap. I’m thankful you don’t have to watch the Cowboys unless you want to. I’m thankful for a few days off. I’m thankful I’m not the turkey. Get the idea? Now try it yourself. But hurry – there are only a few more thanking days until Thanksgiving! Bob Buckel is publisher of the Azle News. |
