I didn’t get to post yesterday. I had a busy, busy day (formatting a book is always hectic). I finally sat down to start writing about 9:00 yesterday evening, and my #1 University of Kentucky Wildcats were proving why they’re the #1 team in the country (did I mention that my beloved Wildcats are ranked #1?). I chose to watch the game instead of blog (sorry), and I’ve traveled today to my in-laws to spend Thanksgiving Day with my wife’s family tomorrow – It will be only the second Thanksgiving Day we have spent with my wife’s parents through the years. From watching the Cats win last night to coming to Kentucky today, I’ve found reasons to offer my thanks to God.

• I got to watch the Cats win!I grew up in a family who loved the Cats, and we lived not far from Lexington; I married a girl who graduated from the University of Kentucky. My blood runs blue, and I’m thankful.I’m thankful because:
  • I have something I enjoy.My life is not such a bleak existence where I’m constantly struggling to survive that I cannot find joy. My life is peaceful enough that I can sit down and watch a ballgame.
  • I have a cable bill.No, I’m not interested in whether cable or satellite is better (I think we’re going to switch to satellite very soon) – I’m thankful that I can afford some entertainment. I personally do not watch television except for sports and major news events (in the last year, I have only watched sports and a little news about the attacks in Paris), but my family loves a good show. We have the ability to enjoy entertainment every now and then.
  • I have electricity.It would be useless to have the cable bill without electricity. Think about all the benefits we have from electricity: easy food preparation, easy defense against the cold and heat, and easy light in the darkest night. As I watched the Cats last night, I really couldn’t help but thank God for the electricity which made watching my team possible.
  • I have tradition.I take the Cats seriously. When UK won the 2012 National Championship, I cried – yeah, I know how hokey that sounds, but that’s the truth (we were in a very bad place then and the championship brought Tammy and me great joy). My mom’s mother loved the Cats, my parents love the Cats, my brothers love the Cats, and my wife’s parents love the Cats. You see, it’s a family thing. We text back and forth during games (I get mad at Mom sometimes – don’t let her know – because she texts me when I’m most nervous and tells me that UK’s going to lose).

  Even in the midst of nothing more than a ballgame, I can find reasons to be thankful.

• StarbucksI drove through Starbucks this morning, and I ordered a peppermint mocha and that’s exactly what I got. Yet, I was looking at the Frappuccino and I got the latte. I was a little disappointed for a second, but it dawned on me: If that’s the worst of my problems, I have it made. How many other people in the world would love to have the problem of getting a latte over a Frappuccino?
• Tammy’s drivingI stayed up late last night watching UK play basketball, and I had a meeting on the other side of town this morning, so I got up at 5:00. By the time, we had drive a little while, I pulled off at a McDonald’s and told Tammy I was going to take a fifteen-minute power nap. I did, but I didn’t want to start driving again after fifteen minutes. Tammy was able to take over the driving responsibilities and let me sleep for a while.
• MedicationThe trip was hard on me physically. In fact, I didn’t even go to Bible study this evening; instead, I got in a recliner at the in-law’s and slept. When we got to Kentucky, I was in horrendous pain, but with the swallow of a medication, I slept and began to fill better.
• LoveThere’s nothing like coming to your wife’s home and finding love and acceptance. Grammy has fixed cookies and other things I like to eat, they’ve left the recliner for me, and they were very understanding about not attending Bible study tonight. I may have married into them, but they’re still my family.

I started this entry on Tuesday evening, and I’m concluding it on Thanksgiving Day. I’m thankful that we as a nation pause to remember the blessings of God on the fourth Thursday in November. I’m reminded that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (Js 1:17). Thank God for His blessings today. May He richly bless each of you.