Giving Thanks

Please forgive the lapse in postings. This semester of law school has been the most trying and difficult in my entire academic career.

While Mount Virtus has an excellent series on what he is thankful for, I neither have the energy or the creativity to create an extensive series. Instead, I will simply state what I am thankful for today as I get ready for nightly prayers.

I am thankful for God’s grace. You see, I am a prideful man in things large and small. God has currently made it His priority to break me of this pride. It has not been pleasant for sure. Yet, I see that He is molding me, maturing me. Indeed, I am being refined in the fire (see, e.g. I Peter 1:7). Now, lest I be accused of pride here, I must emphasize that it is God who is doing the work, and I am nowhere near fully refined or matured yet. It is only by Christ’s work that the chains of pride (Psalm 73:6) are broken and I am free (see Romans 7 and 8). God grants us mercy for our transgressions: He grants us grace to make us better.

I am thankful for family. Yes, this is an obvious choice, but I have a specific reason. Due to some family medical problems, we were not able to attend the greater family’s Thanksgiving feast. This is a sad event, for more of our clan passes away each year. Much to our surprise, though, not one but two different families within our clan brought us a Thanksgiving meal. My aunt and uncle as well as my grandparents brought us a complete meal-- roast (we don’t eat turkey), mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie, etc. My uncle and my grandparents both stayed a while to chat, making a mini-Thanksgiving for us. It truly warmed my heart.

I am thankful for education. There is rarely the day I attend a class and feel that it was wasted. I love learning new things, whether it is the Chevron two-step test of Administrative Law or learning to swing dance. I am fortunate to live in a country, and have the opportunities, to learn whatever my heart desires.

I am thankful for movies. While I am notorious for being slow to see a movie (for example, I just saw Fight Club a few months ago), I genuinely love to see movies. If they are great master works, then I delight in the artistry of the piece. If they are terrible, I play Mystery Science Theater. Today I got to see The Incredibles and Sixteen Candles. Yes, this is a random pair, but none the less, both were excellent movies.

Finally, I am thankful for my true friends. It is not prudent to list them here, for I will surely forget one or miss the contribution of another. Law and Politics are fields where one has many acquaintances and contacts, but few true friends. I have been blessed enough to have many true friends-- people who I can not only lean on but also simply talk to for a random conversation. As time moves on, we each go our separate ways and I do not get to see as many of them as often as I would like. Yet, we can simply pick up where we left off each time-- a rare quality in most relationships.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Please stop sometime and consider what you are thankful for and why.