THE ART OF "THANKSLIVING"

Isn't this awesome? I received this from a dear friend; I think it's great!

THE ART OF "THANKSLIVING"

It is gratitude in action.
It is applying Albert Schweitzer's philosophy....
"The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything..
He who has learned this, knows what it means to live"
It is thanking God for the gift of life...
by living it triumphantly.
It is thanking God for all that men and women have done for you...
by doing things for others.
It is thanking God for opportunities...
by accepting them as a challenge to achievement.
It is by thanking God for happiness....
by striving to make others happy.
It is thanking God for beauty....
by helping to make the world more beautiful.
It is thanking God for inspiration....
by trying to be an inspiration to others.
It is thanking God for health and strength....,
by the care and reverence you show your body.
It is thanking God for each new day....
by living it to the fullest.
It is thanking God by giving hands, arms, legs and voice....
to your thankful hearts.
It is adding to your prayers of thanksgiving....
acts of "THANKSLIVING"!

Giving Thanks

My 2008 list of "thankful fors":

• a God who knows my name and loves me unconditionally
• my husband of more than 32 years who loves me because of who I am (and often in spite of it)
• my three amazing sons who honor me and bring me joy every day
• my three beautiful daughters who each bless me in her own unique way--one I was blessed to have given birth to and of whom I am immensely proud, one who blessed us by loving our son and becoming his wife, and one who became family to us after the Lord called her mother home this year
• my brothers and their families as well as David's sisters, brother-in-law, and nephews who have stood by us through our highs and our lows and have given us so many beautiful memories
• my friends who keep me grounded in my faith and who are always there to lend a hand, a shoulder, or simply an ear
• Jonathon's continued progress and constant gratitude for the miracles God has granted him
• the song in my heart and the hope I carry within me.

As I review my list, I am struck by how short it seems, but I realize, too, that there is really no way for me to adequately express my gratitude for all that I am and all that I have in this life. By the grace of God, we have celebrated another Thanksgiving, and by His grace alone will we do it all again next year. Thank you, Lord, for the joys AND the sorrows. We are grateful for the journey.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How blessed we are.

The Clark side of my gratitude list

Hope

Jonathon and I just returned from a trip to the Shepherd Center to visit with (and finally meet) a young man for whom we have prayed the last couple of months. His name is Ryan but it could just as easily be Tom, or Bob, or Matt or yes, of course, Jon. Every patient there, in fact, has the same name whether they are male or female, black or white, Christian or not.......they each bear the name "Hope", and even though the patient may not be aware of his or her new name, it is ever-present in the eyes of family members and friends. To have survived whatever medical situation brought them to Shepherd is probably the first hope fulfilled for each patient and family there. As they each begin the therapy phase of recovery, a renewed hope is born. It becomes palpable. It becomes contagious. It becomes consuming, and to be honest, it can sometimes become tiring......not the hope itself, but the daily challenges that must be faced in order to continue to have that hope. I fear that I am rambling a bit, but if you have ever shared in the journey of a friend or loved one who is traveling the road to recovery, you will "get it".

After meeting for a short time with Ryan and his beautiful wife and a dear friend of hers, Jon and I took a trip down Memory Lane, touring the newly renovated Aquired Brain Injury wing. I can honestly say Memory Lane because even I was surprised at the number of faces and names Jonathon recognized and remembered. There were about five different nurses and techs that he called by name! I think that THEY were even more surprised than me! One, in fact, told me that while they are always excited to have patients return, it is rare for a patient to even remember them. He said that they understand this because of the way a brain injury affects the patient, but that it is so rewarding for them to have a patient actually remember their name or anything about them! He said it is far more common for a patient to return and for them to "carry on" about how well the patient is doing, only to have the patient look at them with a blank stare as if to say, "WHO are you?" I guess having Jonathon recognize so many of them was indeed a blessing.....

We also found Jonathon's old room in the "quad" and had the opportunity to speak with the wife of the patient who now occupies his old space in that area. Her husband had survived a near-fatal accident that left him comatose for six weeks, but who was slowly making his way back. She was gracious enough to let us go into the room and chat, and at the end of our visit actually thanked us for bringing them a renewed hope for her husband's future. They had travelled to Shepherd from Tupelo, Mississippi, looking for a miracle. As we left the room, the wife hugged and thanked us for stopping by and especially Jonathon for the inspiration he was for them. How awesome that God allowed Jonathon to do that for this family!

This post, then, is for all of those patients at Shepherd and everywhere who are struggling to return to their former lives....whose families hold daily vigils for them as they struggle to return to what will be the new "normal" for them. To each of those families, I lift my cup and say, "Blessings to each of you; may God be with you. You are exactly where God wants you to be, and HE who has brought you this far knows the plans He has for you!" Trust Him.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11