Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks to everyone who has sent encouraging notes during this holiday season.
Many, many more thanks to my parents who have put in a lot of time and effort in getting my application for next year's JET Program assembled and sent off. Thanks again, so much. It wasn't easy, but thanks to email, skype, and paperclips, it was all done.

We really miss home right now since from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to the 3 days after Christmas is our favorite time of year. And right now it has begun - I am writing on Thursday morning and it's Thanksgiving. Except noone in Japan is thanks-giving for all they have received from the Lord. Noone but His people, who are few but many of whom are faithful.

That's what I was praying this morning during my prayer walk - I thanked the Lord for many things, but I thanked Him most profusely for a thankful heart. How often do we take the time to examine our hearts to find if we are really thankful for all the things we have? How we never have an excuse to be crabby and unkind and faithless as to our futures? How we lack joy simply b/c we do not look to what He has given us - Himself?

I thank God that He often helps me to live w/ an attitude of thankfulness, not only during this season (though most strongly during this season, that's for sure) but also during the rest of my time on this earth.

Saturday night we have a big English-speaking party w/ some American Thanksgiving-style foods to be cooked and consumed, so that should be quite cool. Looking much forward to it. I'll likely be cooking for hours beforehand on Saturday. That should be cool too. No, it won't be at our tiny house but rather at the other American's house, who has a really nice kitchen and huge house.

Have a great day! Enjoy turkey, sweetbreads, and football, none of which I'll be getting this year!