The ABCs of Thanksgiving

 I learned this from a youth ministry game book, and I have used it in my classroom. Thanksgiving can be a difficult holiday for people as families gather and loved ones are missing, or if you are someone unable to make it home for this holiday, and you are alone. So, here is an exercise to just realize that Thanksgiving is about being thankful for the good in your life. Write down the alphabet and next to each letter, write one thing that you are thankful for that starts with that letter. (I usually limit it to five people for my students, but some of us may have twenty-six people that we are legitimately thankful for more than anything else in this world.)

Here is my list: 

A-America-We have issues, but I’d rather live here in America and try to be a change agent than anywhere else in the world. 

B-Books

C-College Basketball (Maybe not UCLA vs. Gonzaga, but there’s always Duke!)

D-Disney 

E-Entertainment (From movies to television to live theater plays, to sports events, I love being entertained.)

F-Family

G-God’s grace

H-House (It’s new. It’s owned. Finally.)

I-Intelligence (I have learned from some of the most intelligent people in the past few years.)

J-Jesus 

K-Knowledge (The knowledge that I have and have gained throughout my life, and the knowledge I will continue to gain in the future. 

L-Lattes (Along with the coffee shops in which they reside) 

M-Mosaic (A church that loves me, with all my flaws)

N-Netflix (Cobra Kai season four on Dec. 31. Need I say more?)

O-Opportunities (Ones that I have pounced and claimed, and ones to be obtained.) 

P-Peace (The peace I have had in my life this last year, even with a lot of stressful situations.)

Q-Quiet moments

R-Red House Writer’s Collective (A group of writers, agents, and editors that have been more than my coaches this year, but also friends)

S-Sounds (The fact that I can still hear and enjoy music is phenomenal.) 

T-Teaching (The rewards are few but large) 

U-Understanding (From my bosses to my friends, people who have been understanding this year have been remarkable.) 

V-Victories (Victories, even small wins, in my life.) 

W-Writing (Rediscovering the love of writing has restored my soul) 

X-X-Boyfriends (They taught me much)

Y-Young People (They teach me as much as I teach them.) 

Z-Zany ideas (I have plenty.)

Sparks of Joy During the Holidays

 The holidays are upon us, whether we want them to be or not. It’s supposed to be a season of joy, but for many people, it can be a season of sorrow. For them, loved ones are gone from this earth, or their finances are so tight that they will choose not to have a traditional dinner. Others may be alone for the holidays. Whatever sorrows may come our way this season, let us find ways to find the sparks of joy. 

One of the first sparks of joy is to be grateful for what we have in the present. For me, moving cost me financially, but I am so grateful to be in a larger home and in a new city. We can all be grateful for the needs that have been met in our lives, even if some needs are still outstanding. During this holiday season, we can take a day to stop and look around us to see what we have in our present that grants gratefulness. It will heal our soul, which in turn heals our physical and mental health too. 

Another spark is to see the small joys that have occurred over the last year. For those of us living in California, our world around us is more open than it was a year ago. We can gather with friends, family, and even our church family. We can celebrate the good times this year has brought and be grateful for overcoming the difficult trials that have been upon us. Some of us can celebrate having gone on a vacation; others can celebrate going to a concert, or even the movie theater. Then, there are those of us who are sports fans who find just a spark of joy watching and cheering for our teams in this last year. 

A spark that many of us do not always recognize is the actions that people do for us, even if they are small, like responding to our posts on social media. The small sparks of people praying for us helps us realize that we are not alone in our struggles, which is a reminder that we must let people know that we are praying for them. We can become so busy into what we are doing that we miss those small sparks that are right in front of us that people are doing with us or for us. They can be small acts of kindness that we forget because we are so busy focusing on what we must do, that we do not stop to see what others are doing around us. This holiday season, may we stop and see. 

A final spark is to realize the good things God has given us throughout our lives. From our health, even if we have difficulties, we are still alive, to our talents and gifts that we can use to serve others and to create in us a heart that is open to making the world a better place. God has given us our memories of times that we have had with people we love and opportunities in our lives that have changed us. God has given us grace and love without our effort being used to receive them. 

This week, as we start the holiday season, whether we are gathering with many, few, or having time to ourselves, may we take the time to see the sparks of joy that have occurred in our lives, so we can recognize the sparks of joy in our future, and send sparks of joy to the lives of others around us. 

The Cost of Freedom is Sacrifice

 This last week we celebrated those who have served in the armed forces with Veteran’s Day. America recognizes that those who sacrifice everything in their lives, do it so we can maintain our freedom. I just wonder if we understand that freedom only comes with sacrifice. In the past two years, I cannot help but notice that many people chose not to sacrifice anything for their freedom, and yet, they want their freedom. If we want to be free, we must sacrifice. 

Our armed forces sacrifice time. They sacrifice time with their families. They sacrifice time that they could be pursuing a “dream job,” so that all of us can have freedom in this country. As they sacrifice, are we just to receive the fruits of their sacrifice, or are we to sacrifice so that someone near and dear to us can be free? It’s an age-old question. Sacrifice is difficult. Usually, when I sacrifice, it costs me something, and not only do I not feel free, but I feel burdened by that which I must do, so that my sacrifice frees someone else, or even myself. 

Do we even understand that sacrifice must be an act that we all perform to have a free country today and in our future? If most people choose to be selfish and just take, then those who are sacrificing are doing it for naught because the majority will overrule the minority. If everyone were to sacrifice just some small part of their life for someone else, then there will not only be freedom for others, but we will also begin to truly love our neighbor. Then, the future will contain more freedom because of the sacrifice we have today. 

The question to be asked is what can an ordinary person do to sacrifice? It could just be the simple tasks in life. It could be being kind to a server in a restaurant or any store clerk. If we are flying, we know the rules. As we fly through the skies with our freedom, let us choose kindness to our flight attendants because we must remember that they are humans who need to see the love of Jesus more than to hear our political rants. It’s letting the person who is in a hurry in front of us. 

If we cannot do these little sacrifices, then when big sacrifices are asked of us, we will not be able to perform. I know because for a time in my life, I chose not to sacrifice. I was led to believe that I needed to be confident and not let people walk on me. There’s a difference between being a doormat and sacrificing, which can lead to true confidence. In that period of my life, I was at the lowest point of self-confidence, and instead of serving, I just complained about what others were not doing. Not only did I not have confidence, but my selfishness led to a burden of having to repay debt financially and loss of friends. In order to have freedom and healthy relationships, I realized I had to begin to sacrifice with the idea that the sacrifice was for others to be better. 

Jesus did not let the little parts of life to worry him. He chose to sacrifice. He chose to treat people with love and kindness, even when he had to explain that their actions were wrong. Yes, he overturned the tables in the temple. That was because people were being selfish in his father’s house and not sacrificing, and these same people demanded sacrifice from those who followed them. Sacrifice means we give up something. Jesus gave his life so we could have freedom from sin. 

As we enter the holiday season, may we remember to sacrifice more than we get. It’s better to give than to receive. Giving requires sacrifice. Sacrifice requires us to think of others instead of ourselves. Sacrifice is a habit that we must develop. We have less than forty days of this year left. May we take this time to sacrifice our wants and begin to sacrifice so others may have their needs, and then we will all gain freedom. Freedom comes with a price. That price is sacrifice. 

Being a Cheerleader Creates Grattitude

 Today in Los Angeles, they ran the LA Marathon. What is always intriguing to me is how people stand on the street and just cheer for strangers to keep running. They are not famous. They are not even connected to these people in any way. They are just cheering for them because they are accomplishing a major feat. It makes us healthier when we cheer for others. It makes us more grateful when we cheer for others. It makes us connect with other humans and makes us more humane as we rejoice with others. 

As we start November, I am reminded that it should be a month of gratefulness. For so much of our lives, we only see what is wrong in the world, or in our own lives, that we can miss what is the best of life right around us. As a Los Angeles Dodger’s fan, I was disappointed that they did not repeat as World Series Champions, but I couldn’t help but rejoice with Atlanta and their World Series Championship. There were great players on that team with one who had been on that team for eleven years and it was his first World Series Championship. Just because we do not get the prize in life that we desire, doesn’t mean we cannot be happy for those who do. It’s all a part of being grateful for what occurs in life. When I achieve something great, I want others to rejoice with me, so I must rejoice with others when they achieve something great. 

When others achieve something great and reach a dream, we can become inspired to chase our dreams. Once we turn our dreams into goals, we then can reach one goal at a time. Someone posted on social media that they do not need to create anything but to just be a living being. I disagree because we are all here for a purpose, so we can all create. If we are willing to create something new, we can make a small difference in the world, even if we never are able to see that difference. The difference could cause someone to donate money to a cause that is close to their heart and much needed in this world.  So, let us create. 

Once we begin to create, we realize that those who achieved something great were always creating, and instead of becoming envious, we can rejoice. Even though I do have a tinge of jealousy when others succeed, I realize that instead of being jealous, I can rejoice at their creation and be inspired to create what I can. Creating something new can be a new dish for dinner, a handmade item, a schedule to live each day with fullness, or some kind of art. 

In this month of November, people all over the world are writing a first draft of a novel, in one month. Others are raising money for cancer research by growing facial hair. Others are creating presents for those near and far for the upcoming holidays. I can look with envy at those who are creating, or I can join them because I know I can’t beat them because creating is not a competition but a complement to our completion. That, and I may be slightly participating in one of the November events, and trust me, it’s not facial hair. 

So, in this month of thankfulness, may we find a way to empower and encourage others in their achievements. It makes us grateful. It inspires us to do something even mediocre that can influence someone else. We may never know our sphere of influence, but we can hope that whatever we create, we bring just a bit of joy to someone else. Besides, now that the baseball season is over, the college basketball season begins. It will be a great year for my two teams. One, with all their starters back, UCLA, and the other with a coach retiring, Duke. It will be epic. It will be inspiring. Greatness will be achieved, and I will just cheer for them as loud as I can.