November 26, 2009 - 10:09 am
With apologies to Beast, I am going to borrow his words again here today. This is always, always fitting for me on Thanksgiving Day. I happened to watch It’s a Wonderful Life last night, too. That film and this quote bring it home. Thanks again, Beast.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
I don’t list some of the ‘I’m thankful for’ stuff some people might expect. Sure, I’m glad to have a job, a roof over my head, food on the table & other stuff like that. I’m glad for the love of family and friends, sure. But for me it’s much simpler – and much deeper – than that.
I’m not thankful for ‘life’. Life can be pretty rotten, and life without purpose can be absolutely unbearable. Without purpose my life would be meaningless. That’s the thing I’m thankful to God for: Purpose. I matter. I matter to God or he wouldn’t have bothered to put me here. I matter to my wife. She counts on me for love, companionship, and to help give her life purpose. I matter to my children. When it gets too deep they know they can come to me. I matter to my employer or he wouldn’t keep me around. I matter to my church or they wouldn’t keep finding tons of things for me to do. I matter to my friends if their greetings and hugs when I see them is any indication. THIS is the stuff that I’m thankful for. I’m thankful for purpose. It has nothing to do with the size of my bank account, what I drive, where I live. None of it would matter without purpose. God and I have this deal: the minute…the very second…that my life here has no more purpose and I can’t be of help to anyone any more He’s going to call me home, and I’ll go gladly.
So today be thankful for the purpose in your life. No matter how bleak it seems or how lonely you feel I guaranty you there is a purpose to your life…you MATTER to someone. Heck, if you’re reading this you matter a great deal to me and I am ever ‘thankful’ for the purpose you’ve given me by reading what I write here.
Comments on “thanksgiving #26”
happy turkeyday, Laura 
good quote, too … reminds me of Agent Smith’s speech on Purpose from The Matrix: Reloaded
by Evan, November 26th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I love this text that you always post ~ it’s awesome!!!
by Lisanne, November 27th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Awesome. Thanks for sharing this… it’s so true, and I will remember it from now on!
by Melissa, November 27th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
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Laura, 28 years oldHigh-desert dweller
Wife to Kyle since 9/10/05
Mommy to Andrew since 12/20/07
Computer engineer by training, Photoshopper by profession and play.
I love sports, Coke, shopping, Jesus, photography, and aviation. Not necessarily in that order.
My Flickr photos
"I will prepare and some day my chance will come." -Abraham Lincoln
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- 04: the great email predicament (14)
- 03: escape from the rut part 1 (6)
- 03: you know you’re weird when… (#2) (18)
- 02: a cinderelly weekend (9)
- 01: one more year review… then on to the next! (8)