Giving thanks

These are from my kids...a Happy Turkey Day to all of you!!

And these are from ME...giving THANKS to my subarashii students and the turkeys they made enabling me to have some fun Photoshop time!!

Thanks comes in many forms. A thanks said before a meal. Sometimes it's also just a casual way to show appreciation or an automatic reply to someone handing you something, someone opening the door for you, or even as in my case, when I don't know what to say to some of the Japanese formalities of speech....I just throw in a good "doomo" or "arigatoo gozaimasu" and figure it's all good.

But there is also a different kind of thanks that comes from somewhere deeper. It is the kind of thanks that brings tears to my eyes and a feeling of indebtedness because of the overwhelming amount of blessings that God continually gives me. He doesn't stop loving me and withholding His blessings even when I don't give proper thanks, I am not deserving. In fact He gives without any desire for an outward sign of the words "thank you," but only for my actions and inward thoughts to give obedience to Him and to glorify and praise what He has already given me, freedom in Jesus Christ. I'm still working on and learning how to give that kind of thank you!! But for you all I can easily say...

"I thank my God everytime I remember you." ~Philippians 1:3