I was listening to a song today and the person was singing about being alone. It got me thinking about having spoken to some people and they say that they feel lonely or alone in a crowd. Being alone isn't just being by yourself but it's also feeling like there's no one there for you. Or perhaps you feel like an outsider - like you never really belong.

As Christians, we have this promise from our God: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5). What an amazing promise!! He uses the word 'never' twice. He wants to make sure that we get it. We are never alone and we don't need to feel lonely. He's always there for us! A few years ago, I had surgery. I have had several and know that when you get surgery, they always roll you into the operating room on a stretcher. I was feeling quite stressed about a week before the surgery and God said not to worry, that He would be with me through the whole thing and would walk into the operating room with me. When the day for the surgery came, my husband and I were waiting for them to come and get me. The nurse had already hooked me up to the IV and I was waiting for the stretcher. The nurse came and said: this is very unusual but we are short on stretchers. Would you mind walking into the operating room?. I immediately thought of God's word to me. He would walk with me and here I was walking. I knew then that this was His way of reminding me that He was right there. I was so comforted and felt so calm walking into the operating room. I climbed onto the table and the nurse said to me: you seem very calm. I was! Our God is real and big and always there for us no matter what we are walking through. We are NEVER alone.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I always love Thanksgiving. Partly because I love the time of year - the fall. So lovely! The leaves are changing, the air smells great - it's an amazing time for a long walk and reflection.

But I also really like Thanksgiving because I take time to think about what I am thankful for. I look at my life and have SO much to be grateful for. This year, around the table with all of my family, we all took turns to say what we were thankful for. We all had things in our lives for which we could truly give thanks.

What if we took the time, say each morning when we arise, to take time to turn to our Heavenly Father and share something with Him that we are thankful for? And what if, after that, we shared with a family member or a friend what we appreciated about them? And what if we went to our school or our workplace and shared with people there what we were grateful for either about the workplace or about them personally? If even just one of us took the time to do this, our world would be a little better place.

Let's remember to be thankful not just on one day but everyday. We have a lot to be thankful for!

I know that many of us live with plenty althought we might not always think so. It's interesting how most of us not only don't go hungry, but we are wanting to lose weight because we have SO much to eat. Most of us drive vehicles and if we don't have a car, we have the money to take the bus or grab a cab once in awhile. In so many ways, we are SO rich.

But what about our souls? How often do we invest in who we are emotionally/spiritually? Often times we are so busy that we don't take the time to even contemplate those things. And yet, they are so incredibly important if you want to live a fulfilled life and keep growing. It's so easy to get stagnant. Plop down in front of the TV - there's always something to watch. Many of us are in a rut. Get up, go to work, come home, eat supper and watch TV. Get up and do the same thing again tomorrow.

Surely there has to be more to life than this!! Good news - there is!
 
Recently I read a part of a verse written by Paul in 2 Cor. 6:10 - "having nothing, and yet possessing everything."

What a profound statement! Sometimes I find that we can have everything and possess nothing - nothing that is real or of any true value.

After reading that statement, I started to look at my own life. Lord, you've given me SO much, not only materially but also family and friends. I want to live a full life. Not a life full of stuff but a life full of things that really count. I want to love my friends and family and those God puts in my path. I want to continue to grow and mature as a Christian and a woman. That is my prayer and I hope that you will pray that with me today. It's not what we have - it's what we have inside that counts!