With winter comes cold weather. Cold weather means I bundle up even more than usual. It also leads to our 6-month old puppy not getting as many walks. That translates into a bored, more destructive puppy.

Tired of our socks and Kleenix being demolished at every turn, I braved the cold weather and walked the dog this week — consistently. Okay, I know it hasn’t been that wintry in our area yet, but I’m chilly when it’s 55 degrees!

I’ve enjoyed the cold walks. Granted the first half mile I walk a more brisk pace in an attempt to keep hypothermia at bay (perhaps a slight exaggeration). Then the next two miles, I start unzipping my coat and wish I hadn’t worn so many layers.

As the dog and I stroll along, I’ve felt a peace. All the worries or stresses of the day melt away as I observe the beauty of God’s creation around me. With school in session and technology interruptions left at home, nothing intrudes on my time to just be.

It’s been a good reminder to me that in the midst of life’s daily demands, there is tremendous value in taking time out to enjoy the simple things in life. Whether it’s only fifteen minutes or an hour, the benefit is terrific. It gives us a chance to gain a bit of renewal, so we can continue our day with rejuvenation.

So take time to refresh yourself today. You’ll be glad you did!

It’s a Gratitude Give Away! What is that you may be asking? Why, Thanksgiving of course. A heart filled with gratitude for our many provisions and blessings, while giving away of ourselves for the sake of another. A Gratitude Give Away.

We often can think of something we’re grateful for, but what will we give to others this week, next month, or even next year? Give is a short word with monumental impact. What we give another has lasting affects.

* A smile to someone feeling down

* A letter to someone lonely

* Help for someone in need

* Hospitality to friends and family

* Perform entertainment for shut-ins

* Prepare meals for the homeless

* Deliver food to the hungry

* Devote time to another

Each is different, but equally impactful.

Last night, while my husband gave of his time to organize our filing system, I found a 10-year-old letter from my best friend amongst the folders. When my husband gave of his time and organizational expertise, it created an immediate blessing. But it also is a gift that will have a long-term benefit as my piles of papers will no longer be homeless. My best friend’s letter she gave me 10 years ago was touching and informative back then as she shared a piece of herself with me. Reading it again last night only enhanced the gift as time brought deeper meaning to the words she inked long before.

To be thankful is important, but only part of a bigger picture. What is it we will give to another?

Yesterday, I walked into a stranger’s home uninvited. No, I wasn’t doing anything criminal — I was just oblivious.

Let me explain … someone in our small group is in a cast, so we were meeting at their home. I had been to their home briefly once last year, so I didn’t feel the need to get the exact address. I thought to myself, I know where it is.

We found their street and I began silently patting myself on the back for such a great memory. The catering vehicle in the driveway made me think he drove his in-laws vehicle home after helping with a reception earlier. The three of us got out of the car, walked up to the house, and I rang the doorbell holding my covered snack. A smiling woman opened the door.

“Hello.” she said.

“Hi!” I said equally friendly as I walked into the home.

I recognized the layout of the house, but not the woman. The furniture was different, but I thought perhaps they moved things around since I last visited. My husband and daughter, sensing something wasn’t right, stopped short of coming in the door. Not me … I walked straight past the woman and into the entryway figuring she was the attendee of the group we hadn’t met yet.

I looked around, puzzled by not seeing our hosts or their daughters. Her strange and silent look at me caused me to ask where they were.

“Ummm. They aren’t here, but they were last night.” She said.

Now it was my turn for a strange look. That’s odd. Why would they not be home? Who is this woman?

“I think you might have the wrong house.” She kindly said.

Mortification flooded through me.

“What? This isn’t their house?” I asked.

“No, they live next door.”

I must have turned fifty shades of red at that moment. I apologized profusely, embarrassed that I walked so carefree into a stranger’s home. I promptly walked back out, apologized more and followed my family to the house next door.

Today, I’m still mortified. If the tables were turned and some stranger walked into my entryway uninvited, I don’t know that I would be so kind and friendly.

It makes me think of the verse, “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Hebrews 13:2) To be hospitable is to make someone feel comfortable.

We encounter many strangers throughout each day. How do we treat them? Do we take time to make others feel comfortable? Do we shun and criticize others or do our children see our hospitality in action?

With the Thanksgiving holiday around the corner, what can we do to extend a hand to those in need? There are many opportunities to show hospitality to strangers — volunteer to serve dinner at the local Salvation Army or donate food for a Thanksgiving meal for a needy family.

We never know if we are entertaining angels without realizing it, or just being a fantastic role model for our kids.

Three years ago, I was in the middle of a lengthy recovery from a car accident. For someone so active and energetic as myself to suddenly be confined to a recliner, was extremely difficult. Instead of being outside playing with my husband and daughter, I watched from the window. While they walked, took hikes, and rode bikes together, I stayed indoors waiting for them to return.

It was easy to get discouraged and focus on all the things I could not do with my family. I spent many days wallowing in my self-pity, fighting to loose its grip. As Thanksgiving approached that year, I was reminded of my “Jar of Thankfulness” I had created a year before. My thankfulness jar contained small pieces of paper inscribed with items for which I was thankful.

When I first created the jar, it started out tough. I wrote down the first two things that came to mind — my husband and daughter. Then I drew a blank. I wanted to give up and forget the exercise, but I trudged on. Slowly, a few things came to mind. I wrote them down, then a few more surfaced. The more I wrote down, the more items came to my mind. Soon my jar was already half-full.

When my lengthy recovery felt like it would never end, I went to my Jar of Thankfulness. One by one, I opened the pieces of paper and read them aloud. I didn’t have to read too many before my attitude began to turn around. Soon, just seeing my jar on my counter brought a smile to my face, as I knew what the papers said.

Often, it’s hard to see past the turmoil we feel when enduring a difficult situation. Discouragement is like a vacuum that threatens to suck us into its dark cavity. Thankfulness on the other hand, is like a ray of light shining on us in the midst of a gloomy day.

Each of us has much to be thankful for regardless of our circumstances. The only question is where we put our focus.

Combat the gloomies — create a Jar of Thankfulness!

I blinked and it’s November. I’m not sure how that happened, but it did. On Friday, the grocery store had an isle of what I call Christoweens — half Halloween candy and half Christmas goodies. If not already, stores will be playing Christmas music very soon.

With the holidays around the corner, that means everyone starts being more rushed and stressed. Instinctively this weekend, I’ve found myself thinking, “I’m not ready, I’m still behind from last month!”

Unfortunately, rather than focusing on the remembrance of thanksgiving this month, the to-do lists, holiday planning, and shopping often overshadows the importance of giving thanks. Thanksgiving often means a day that we spend time cooking, then gorge ourselves with food, only to then stand in the kitchen cleaning up for hours while the men watch football. Then after the gorge-yourself day comes early-morning-shopping day to get the best sales. Which then creates another day called why-did-I-spend-so-much day.

Is that what thanksgiving is truly about? Is it just a day? If so, Canada already celebrated their day last month and it’s done for the year. But in the United States, we’ve got twenty-four days to fret until our day arrives. It sounds silly to think of thanksgiving as just a day, but isn’t that how we treat the word?

Thanksgiving is a state of mind from which our thoughts and words flow. Sure there will be things for which we are not grateful, but that doesn’t mean we negate acknowledging those things for which we do give thanks.

I’m grateful that November reminds me of a holiday that 365 days of the year, I should give thanks.

“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” — Robert Caspar Lintner