Todd's Holiday (holy-day) Thankful List

I'm thankful this year for everyone who has chosen to replace "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays". Thanks for reminding us that these are "holy" days, especially the one set apart to celebrate God Himself becoming flesh and blood in a little stable in Bethlehem a couple thousand years ago.

I'm thankful that God has taken care of us through 8 months of unemployment. I've had a perfect opportunity to prove my trust, and I sure wish I'd done a better job of it. I've seen God miraculously provide, I know He will work everything together for good, and yet I am still plagued by doubt and worry. Which makes me thankful for God's unrelenting grace and forgiveness.

I'm thankful for all the time I got to spend with my family this year (an upside to unemployment).

I'm thankful that I have no clue what I will be doing in 2009. Will I be working a city job, delivering pizza, mowing lawns, graphic design, prepress, or just relying on real estate? Or something I can't even imagine yet? I'm certainly not stuck in a dead-end job or even a boring life! God is keeping things fresh and exciting (in a scary kind of way).

I'm especially thankful for my family. They are a gift I could never have deserved or earned. A wife that can put up with me every day is pretty special, and kids as smart, healthy and loving as Hannah & Joshua are a blessing beyond words.

Happy Birthday Jesus. This is a holy day, I pray that everyone who reads this will stop to thank you for coming to earth and dying that horrific death to pay the price for all of our shortcomings. Please grow our faith and be at the center of our lives, and thank you in advance for whatever 2009 brings our way!