By NANCY PATRICK

The fall season can summon various emotions; some are happy emotions while others reflect darker, threatening fears of an uncertain future. I confess that many of the world’s crises have stirred those more somber feelings in my own heart.

Brandon Hudson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Abilene, recently provided small notebooks to his congregants, encouraging us to write three things a day during November to remind us of the things around us which we can appreciate. 

At first, I balked at the suggestion, thinking it seemed like a trite thing to do. How many ways can you say, “I’m thankful for my family, God, my home, my country, and my church”? 

I certainly didn’t want to write empty phrases in my booklet each day, but I decided to accept the challenge and participate, hoping that maybe the exercise would lift my spirits.

Rather than listing the obvious things, I began looking at each day and its small, seemingly insignificant occurrences in my life. I started by expressing appreciation for the cooler, wetter weather that has refreshed both the earth and its inhabitants.

Nancy Patrick thanksgiving journal

I became more aware of the blessings of resources that provide for my needs. I have a lovely home that contains the material objects I need to live safely and comfortably. My thankfulness includes an awareness of the many people around the world who lack safety, food, shelter, and security.

I have always loved and enjoyed my friends, but I may not have appreciated them as I do now as I recognize their quirks, their talents, and their loyalty.  Some friends are lifelong friends while others have entered and left our lives as the seasons. Regardless, those friends have blessed me in various ways that smoothed the path for my life. 

The world’s current turmoil makes gratitude and thankfulness difficult to identify. As we hear about and see the cruel, hateful, vengeful, and inhumane behavior of fellow human beings around the world, our hearts ache as we ask God, “Why?”

I recently rewatched the movie A River Runs Through It, a 1992 film directed by Robert Redford. The film, based on Norman Maclean’s 1976 work by the same name, tells the story of a minister’s family living in Montana during the Depression. There are two brothers, Norman and Paul, who love each other but differ as much as two siblings can.

Norman is responsible, ambitious, and ethical; whereas, Paul is daring, fun-loving, and prone to break the laws of Prohibition as he defies the social mores of his society.

Paul frequently spends the night in jail for public disturbances. After one such occurrence, Norman ponders, “Why is it that the ones who need help the most won’t take it?” He could easily see what Paul needed for a successful life, but Paul did not care.

Sadly, Paul’s lifestyle resulted in his untimely death in a violent confrontation. When his father referred to this beloved son during a subsequent sermon, he taught the parishioners that love itself is unconditional and sometimes undeserved. He said, “You can love completely without completely understanding.”

What a difficult lesson for me to absorb! I envy, but appreciate, people who can easily accept that the world is beyond their control. I thank God for people who can love one another without understanding or even forgiving the root of an insult or the source of a deep-held hatred between them.

All around me I see much for which to be grateful. I am among the richest, safest, healthiest, and most blessed people on earth. I am truly thankful for the abundance in my life—things I have not earned. 

Nancy and Mike Patrick walk down the aisle.

I am also thankful for those around the world who hold on to hope, continue to love, persist in loyalty, and remain steadfast in their faith. 

As I count down the days to this Thanksgiving Day, I add one more blessing for which I thank God daily. This Thanksgiving Day is also Mike’s and my fifty-fifth wedding anniversary. I am blessed beyond description to have experienced a life-long love and devotion to a soul mate God provided. 

And I am thankful for those of you who have followed my articles in Spirit of Abilene over the past few years. Writing has been a balm for my sometimes-weary soul. 

Nancy Patrick is a retired teacher who lives in Abilene and enjoys writing