Being Thankful For Everything
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Tis’ the season. As we come to the table to be with family and friends on this Thanksgiving, we give thanks. We give thanks for the food, for our family, and our friends. We then dive in and stuff ourselves on turkey, ham, and everything that goes with them, hopefully leaving room for some of that homemade apple pie. And then when the meal is done, we all head back to our homes. But what are we truly thankful for on this day?
I am thankful for my loving family. We may not be perfect, but we care for and love each other fully. I am thankful for my friends. God has given me the rare opportunity to get to know so many people through fishing. Some are great friends who would do anything to help you, even though we have never actually met in person. And some have become as close as family, no, rather they are family. In an instant they would be there for you, helping in every way possible. Social media with all it’s problems has done so much to bring people together. I am thankful for the people who share the same beliefs as I do. We may not agree on everything, but we lift and learn from each other. I am thankful for the basic things, like the roof over my head, for the food that I have, and for the heat on a winter’s night.
But so often we forget the little things that we need to be thankful for in our life. For the laughter that a friend brought that lifted me out of a miserable day. For the door that someone held so I could get inside safely. For the kind words of encouragement when I thought I could not go on. For the children that remind us that life is short and that we need to always be young at heart and enjoy each day fully. For the true laughter that a child brings each and every day. For the being able to make someone laugh when they didn’t know they needed it.
Within the fishing industry, I am thankful for all the anglers that have become friends and mentors. I am thankful for the professional anglers that take the time to teach others and myself about how to be the best I can be on the water, and how I can be a better person.
I am not perfect by no means, and granted, they are not either. But it’s knowing that being perfect is a goal to strive for in this life. Perfect in that you give more than you could ever imagine. What to us could be nothing, could mean the world to someone else. Perfect as in helping a child learn to enjoy nature and respect it as much as we do. Perfect as in caring about others. We show it in so many ways, sometimes we don’t even know we are making a difference. And do we really need to know that we did?
I am truly blessed in my life. I am by no means rich, for money is often short, but I am rich in friends and family. I have the most amazing friends! I have been given the opportunity to make a difference in so many lives. And so many have made a difference in mine. From the young man who graduated high school, fishing and GOD has changed me for the better. I see that young man and want to tell him what is wrong and how to correct it, but then I may change who I am now. I may find that I have become someone I may never want to be. But that shy young man, who hated writing, and who hated speaking, especially in public, changed with the people he met in life. He became more and is living life rather than going through it.
I am truly blessed and thankful! What are you thankful for in this life? And where will it lead your future?
