Thankfulness...

Thankfulness
11-24.15

I was standing on stage at church today, as we had mic checks and rehearsed for the Worship Service, looking around at my family and feeling incredibly blessed.  You see, all three of my sons were up there with me.  Jarod on drums, Alex on guitar, Taylor on bass and singing, my daughter-in-law’s mom and fellow alto, Ann, who is one of my closest friends and, of course, my sweet husband Scott leading the music.  How many people get to do that?  I mean really, when my boys were little, I always hoped that one day this would be a reality, and here we are all these years later together on stage leading worship.  I am wonderfully and incredibly blessed, and not just in that sense.  Whether it’s Taylor serving in ESL, Youth & Music Ministry, or Alex serving with the Youth, Music and Graphic Design, or Jarod serving in the Youth and Music Ministry, all three have grown into strong, Christian, men.  I have a beautiful, talented daughter-in-law who just graduated from OSU with her Master’s in Music and her Dad, Mark, is a kind-hearted, Godly man and a great friend.  My husband is one of the kindest, most humble people I have ever known. He is my mate, the other half of my soul.   We are blessed.  Of course, I wouldn’t be here at this point in my life if it wasn’t for the rest my family.  My upbringing was, to me anyway, quite wonderful.  I struggle to describe it because there are so many components that played a huge part in who I am.  It wasn’t always easy.  It wasn’t always joyous, but it was always filled with love.  I grew up playing outside, going camping and fishing, walking in the woods, building forts in the trees, catching lightning bugs, swimming in the lake, staying outside playing until the street lights came on, and surrounded by mountain music as my family members played and sang about cowboys, sweethearts and God’s unfailing love.  I’ve been taught how to be loving, kind, patient, compassionate, strong, creative, stubborn, joyful, thankful, optimistic, adventurous, determined, tough, persistent, honest, loyal, moral and faithful, and I’ve been taught those things by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, teachers, friends, my younger brother, my husband and most of all my parents.  I am who I am because they are who they are.  The people who have influenced and taught me, and the circumstances I have faced, both good and bad, have made me into the person I am today, and that in turn has shaped my own children.  I don’t live a charmed life.  I’ve experienced heartache, sickness, pain, loss and fear, but I am so thankful for the life I’ve been given. Because, even though it’s not perfect, it is full of God’s unchanging love for me and for my family, and for that I am truly thankful.

*It’s funny that I wrote this Sunday after church, and then came home to see that my mother had written a similar note about the things for which she is thankful.  We share a love of writing, among other things, so all I can say is “Great minds think alike!”  J  Amy

 Colossians 3:15-17 

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.