Standing Stones

It's that time again. Since it is, many blogs will be filled with people sharing what they're thankful for. I can't claim to be witty or original. I believe there is a good reason we do this. In Joshua Chapter four, God asked the people to gather stones and set them in place. That way when their children came along and asked why the stones were there ~ they could tell them the story of how God had led them across the Jordon on dry ground.

God knows we forget. We don't always remember how good He has been to us ~ sometimes because our current circumstances may not be what we would like. We need "standing stones" to remind us of what He has done in our lives, what He has promised, and what we are thankful for. Holidays like Thanksgiving can help with that ~ especially if you build special moments into it.

My family is so bad at it - but we do have this Blessing Box. We took a small to medium sized box, cut a small hole in the top, and covered it with pictures of everything we considered a blessing. It features family members, pets, friends, the American flag, a Bible or two, a picture of a church, animals, plants, a picture of earth, our favorite foods, doctors... the list goes on... We covered the whole thing with contact paper and all year long we slip in small notes with the date, our name and what we considered a blessing. After we finish eating our Thanksgiving meal, we take turns passing the box around and reach in in and randomly pick out and read from what is inside. It usually ends up with several of us crying as we realize we have blessed others in our family without knowing it. Plus - we remember in this hectic season, how very blessed we have been.

This has been a difficult year for our family. My husband was laid off and when he did find a new job it was for a very deep pay cut. My health hasn't been that great either. Yet, I can see so many good things that have happened too. Doors have opened for me to write - which I was too afraid to do ever before. I have been able to cut my meds down and lose weight. I met so many wonderful people online in my writer's group and the blogging community who have helped me grow as a writer and person. That doesn't even scratch the surface of my blessing list.

I don't know where you are this Thanksgiving and what your joys and struggles might be. I encourage you to find a way to establish your own "standing stones" to help you remember the blessings and not just the trials. I also want to thank you for being part of how God has blessed me this past year.

P.S. Don't forget the Christmas Giveaway post ~ I announce the winners on the 30th, so your last chance to enter is the 29th.