What are you thankful for?

It’s that day of the year again, when turkey and stuffing take center stage and the couch is your best friend.

I’ve had the chance to feel sorry for myself at various times this past year. I hate to admit that I have given in at times.

Thanksgiving Turkeys
“Thanks a lot, buddy”

If I can catch myself in those moments, I always find it helpful to try to remember all the good in life.

It’s like a “reboot” to your attitude to realize all the things you do have. Here are five of mine:

  • A roof over my head
  • Two eyes that can see
  • Friendships, online and off
  • A good upbringing
  • A brain that works (most of the time)

Another thing I’m thankful for: this list could be a lot longer if I wanted it to be.

What about you? What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Turkey photo: redakuma/flickr

Get the Amish in your inbox

Join 15,000 email subscribers. No spam. 100% free

    Similar Posts

    Leave a Reply to Jay Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    23 Comments

    1. Tom A Geist

      I am Thankful my Amish Trips I take...

      This Thanksgiving time I combined some vacation time with a couple of paid holidays days off of work to take a trip into South-Eastern Missouri to meet some Amish scribes for the Budget and Botschaft newspapers.

      Thankful that my car with just over 200,000 miles still works well and gets me where I need to go.

      Thankful for the awesome Swiss Amish I met yesterday in Seymour Mo. So friendly, so welcoming to me.

      Without getting overly religious, I am Thankful that God had let me live as long as I have in relative good health and not wanting a lot of things.

      Tom in Lincoln

    2. Jack Mitchell

      Life, nature and interests

      I am thankful for being alive – for the life that God or nature has given me. In particular, I am thankful for the senses – to see, hear, taste, feel and smell. I am thankful for living in a place where nature is in abundance and for the ever changing seasons that make each day interesting. I am thankful that I have a deep interest in different cultures and ways of life, such as the Amish and Japan.
      Happy Thanksgiving!

    3. marcus yoder

      I am thankful for my family and friends. I am very thankful for Gods grace and mercy.
      Marcus Yoder

    4. sarah Lynch

      EVERYTHING

      I am grateful for waking up every morning to a glorious day! Life is short & everything in our lives is perfect the way it is. What we label as bad is always important in the long run to the peaceful state of being & happiness we long for. Thanks for bringing a piece of that happiness to us all! Happy Thanksgiving!

    5. Al in Ky

      I am thankful for many things including good neighbors, and a bountiful harvest of produce amongst my Amish friends this spring, summer and fall.

    6. Forest Hazel

      I am thankful for God’s grace and His being with our family through what has been a rather challenging year, health-wise. I am also thankful for our kinfolks who have helped, and for our brothers and sisters in Caswell Mennonite Church, who have supported us in all of this. I pray that each of you might have a blessed and joyous Thanksgiving, and take a moment to consider the what God has done for you.

      Kindest Regards
      Forest

    7. Theresa H.

      A few week ago at church I was talking with another women and we were talking about prayer and being thankful. She told me something that has really stuck with me and made me re-evaluate my giving thanks….WHAT IF WE ONLY WOKE UP WITH, WHAT WE THANKED GOD FOR THE DAY BEFORE. I am very thankful for my children, our families health, roof over our head, food on the table, my husband’s job and that this year he is not deployed and is able to be with us for Thanksgiving and Christmas, our extended family and our many friends. I could go on and on, but I have a turkey waiting in the kitchen. 🙂 WISHING ALL OF YOU A VERY HAPPY AND SAFE THANKSGIVING. A special Thank You to you Erik!! Have a wonderful day.

    8. Jay

      seeking amish life

      Please help me I’m seeking amish life

    9. lincolnlady1121

      What are you thankful for?

      I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. First off, I am thankful for all that the Lord has done for me. I am thankful that I live in the United States, land of freedom. Also, thankful for the people who are not going to be home for Thanksgiving as they are defending our freedom. Of course, I am thankful for my family and friends, who maybe I don’t get to see as much as I like, but we know we are there. I could go on and on.

      I think we all feel sorry for ourselves at times. But we have so much to be thankful for.

      Happy Thanksgiving,
      Marilyn

    10. Al in Ky

      I wanted to also mention I’m thankful for Amish America and the many hours you spend researching and writing the posts, Erik. And I’m thankful for the many long-time regular “commenters” as well as the new “commenters”; all help us learn more about Amish faith and life.

    11. Anne

      What I'm thankful for

      So much to be thankful for! Here’s the short list:

      1. God’s gift of music! Especially the beautiful music of the church’s past, which is representative of the best music ever written (of which we hear very little in the modern world). Specifically I’m grateful that Three Notch’d Rd Baroque (my daughter, Fiona’s, group) has released their first CD just two weeks ago. A special First Night collection. You can hear snippets of it at http://www.tnrbaroque.org (pardon this shameless promotion, but it’s already blessed many lives!).

      2. Very grateful for Erik and this blog. Erik is so skillful as a writer AND as an overseer of the site. He knows when to “cut it off”, when to simply be gracious, when to interject an important thought, etc. He has great ideas for content. Erik, this blog is a gift to all of us as we ponder what the Amish faith & lifestyle mean for our lives.

      3. I’m grateful to ALL OF YOU who participate in this blog. You’ve all helped me understand more about what my son has chosen. Even when I don’t have time to write in, I always read the blog and find helpful insight.

      THANKS TO ALL AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

      Anne

      1. Naomi Wilson

        tnrbaroque

        Oh Anne, your daughter’s cd is wonderful. I’m going to order a couple copies. My best friends and I grew up playing violin in the taverns at Colonial Williamsburg, so this music is close to my heart. Also, I taught music at the same school as David McCormick! Small world.

        1. Anne

          Dear Naomi, thanks for your kind words. and what a small world, that you have this connection with David! I want to hear more about that part of your life!

    12. Naomi Wilson

      I am thankful for my family; that we are warm and clothed and fed. I’m thankful that we can stand on the solid rock of God’s Word.

      We celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday with a birthday feast for our oldest. What a treasure to watch children grow.

      I also really appreciate the work that Erik puts into Amish America.

      And Anne, I’m going to check into your daughter’s cd right now.

    13. Carolyn B

      Happy Thanksgiving to the whole Amish America community and our illustrious leader, Erik! I’m so thankful to have connected with you and many other people through the internet. Being homebound, my computer monitor is my window to the world.

      I’m also thankful for my circle of friends and church family in my world who make being homebound not so bad.

    14. Gayle Grabowski

      Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

      I am grateful my brother and his fiancee made it to New York from St. Louis in good weather. I am very blessed to have a beautiful family and wonderful friends.

      Thank you, Erik, for leading such a warm and vibrant online community.

      Thank you to all who contribute and comment on this blog. You have created an unique online experience that is supportive and enriching, in addition to being educational. I have learned a great deal from all of you, and I am VERY grateful for that.

    15. Rita

      What I'm thankful for……...

      For health, happiness, food and shelter, family and friends, and the view from my front window – living in the country and seeing the Amish buggies go by! I’m also grateful for websites like this where I can visit and not be subjected to the rudeness and vulgarity that often crops up in other sites! Wishing Erik and all the Amish America family a blessed Thanksgiving.

    16. Thanks

      Well, I’ve had my turkey, but no pie or couch nap yet 🙂 So nice to read all the comments, and I do appreciate all the kind words (I am likewise very grateful for all you readers and contributors here–I hope that goes without saying!).

      I hope everyone reading this has had a restful day with loved ones, and travel safe anyone who’s hitting the road after the holiday.

      Now to the pie – pecan or cherry? Decisions.

    17. Don Burke

      Looks like I’m one of the last piggies to the trough today (ha), but so very much to be thankful for. High on that list is a wife that loves me, and grown children (with grandkids in tow) that I have been able to spend the holiday with. A wonderful group of folks that I call friends and family. An interest in Amish stuff that not only scratches my own itch, but seems to bring enjoyment to others as well. And I especially thank God for Christ, without which all of this would be meaningless.

    18. Thank You

      Thank You Erik for the nice post.

      As you can see from all the wonderful comments you have many friends.

      You are blessed. We are all blessed.

      Thanks,

    19. Slightly-Handled-Order-Man

      I am thankful for the concept of the Amish, that sounds odd, but by reading Amish America I am reminded that there is a standard by which I try to lead my life, even if I am not actually Amish myself (I try in small “English ways” to immolate them) and it keeps me grounded, or at least helps.
      As everyone is, I am thankful that I have my extended family, and even my work, I am glad I have it, because I could be entirely worse off than I might be perceived to be sometimes by relatives and friends, related, I am thankful I have a roof over my head and things to eat, so many people don’t.

    20. Mark - Holmes Co.

      What a nice post and it is refreshing to read what everyone is thankful for. We have so many blessings to be thankful for. I liked Theresa’s quote about waking up tomorrow with only what we thanked God for today… Yesterday we read a little book together as a family — Life in a Global Village, by Gary Miller and put out by Christian Aid Ministries. It was very interesting and gave us a lot to talk about. After reading that, I wondered “So what was I dissatisfied with?!”
      Blessings wished to all…

    21. Jonathan Edwards

      I am thankful...

      …that no one has chosen to immolate me. So in the spirit of Abraham and Isaac, I am thankful for the sacrificial Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.