Thinking About Thanks

What is it that gets you up in the morning? If you say, "The alarm clock, " I can relate to that. I love slumping into the kitchen when the coffee is brewing and taking a cup before it's done. My husband takes a little longer to get going. About 20 minutes in the shower usually does it, 20 minutes with water so hot I have to readjust the dial when I get in later.

One of the things I like to do to start my day is give thanks. It seems like a good thing to do. "Thank you, Lord, for this day," puts my mind in the right place -- wide open to see the positive that comes my way. For all the books written and all the things said about prayer, it boils down to something simple: giving thanks. All prayer, I'm convinced, starts there.

After two days of pouring rain and blustery, cold weather, the clouds parted this afternoon. There is just something naturally depressing about a cold June day. At 3:30 p.m., when I like to take my break at work, I walked across the parking lot in sunshine and took a deep breath. I could smell Starbucks long before I walked in the door, a warm, rich smell that lifted my mid-afternoon spirits and set my pulse racing. Did you know that Starbucks is single-handedly responsible for making the color brown popular? Used to be, people saw brown and thought: dirt. Now they use words like "rich" and "robust" to describe brown, and research says the famous Seattle-based coffee company is the reason behind the shift in perception. I gave thanks for my afternoon coffee before I walked in the door and was greeted by the friendly barista.

I gave thanks today for news that a friend who had a masectomy last week is cancer-free this week. She was so excited when she told me the good news last night. She will still have to deal with loss, but how amazing is it that she can summon gratitude and see the Big Picture?

I gave thanks today for a friend at work who catches me off-guard when I'm quiet and moody and draws me out. Everyone needs a friend like that, someone who intuitively recognizes a shift in emotional balance and offers a steady hand. Today we talked about Southern food and she told me about Sally Lund. I described the perfect, "old fashioned" way to make REAL banana pudding with Nilla brand wafers, cooked vanilla pudding and baked meringue on top. "Is that big, poufy meringue or short, chewy meringue?" Big, way big, and poufy. I'm thankful for a pal who marks such distinctions when it comes to dessert.

I am always giving thanks for my husband because he is the best friend and partner. I really feel that we were meant to be a part of each others' lives, that my name was penciled in his book when he was ten years old and I was born. How else to explain the long dead period, when it came to men, in my life before he came along? Good grief, I went to my senior prom with my best (girl)friend and a guy that we wheedled into escorting us. The sweet thing about gratitude where my husband is concerned is that it's returned. He seems to feel the same way about me.

I'm thankful for my new job. I have someone come in the Employment Department every day and say, "I want your job," or "How do I get your job?" I tell them it was a fluke and I know how lucky I am. One job seeker brought in cookies his wife had made. He said he wanted to thank us for greeting him with a smile and showing him so much respect when he came in the office; being out of work and looking for a job is hard on the ego, he said. I agreed. Everyone who works in that office has been there, done that. We know what it's like -- and for me, it wasn't so long ago that I was filling out apps and making the rounds for interviews. I'm thankful that I work in a place with a positive vibe, with people that care about the work they're doing.

I'm thankful for my 90-year-old friend who goes to prayer meeting with me on Wednesday nights. I'm grateful for her friendship and her wisdom. I'm glad I can talk to her about almost anything and she'll think before she responds. I think it's so cool that she gets emails from all over the world and that she answers all of them. I like the way she wears her heart on her sleeve and isn't afraid to love whoever needs loving. I like the stories she tells about her handsome black cat. I want to be just like her when I grow old.

I'm thankful for rain. When it's gone and everything is green and squeaky clean, the world looks fresh and new. I need the rain to appreciate the sunshine. Maybe everything is that way. Amen.