For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. – Philippians 4:11 (KJV)

I’m thankful for the muddy floor that greets me every day.

I’m thankful for the dirty socks that on the floor doth lay.

I’m thankful for the fingerprints that deck both chair and wall.

I’m thankful for the daily dust that on the desk doth fall.

I’m thankful for my kitchen sink that hides the dirty dish.

I’m thankful for the splattered wall from when I fried the fish.

I’m thankful for the Cheerios, Playdoh, and other yuck,

And all the stones and crayons that plug my sweeper up.

I’m thankful for the toothpaste smeared on the bathroom door.

I’m thankful for the wad of gum stuck to the kitchen floor.

I’m thankful for the scattered toys that often piece my feet

When I must run to get the phone before I’ve time to sweep.

I’m thankful for the mending I love so much to do

That I hide it in the corner and buy them something new.

I’m thankful for the unmade beds – they mean I’m not alone.

I’m thankful for so many things that make our house a home.

I wrote the above poem years ago when the kids were still home and driving me crazy. Oh, how I longed for the time they’d be all grown up and on their own! Oh, how I craved a house that stayed clean and “red up.”

Now the kids are grown and gone, raising families of their own. The house stays clean – and too quiet. I miss the noise and chaos that come with raising a family.

Can’t we humans ever be happy? When we have one thing, we yearn for something else. When we have that something else, we want what we had.

Why, I wonder, can’t I be like the Apostle Paul, who said he was content whatever the circumstances of life (Philippians 4:11)? And he wrote those words while under house arrest. Haha – I felt like I was under house arrest back when I wrote that poem.

But time moves on, doesn’t it?

I’m learning to embrace each season of my life as it unfolds, whether or not it unfolds the way I’d planned and dreamed.

You see, God is in control, and He has a purpose for each of us in every season of life. He knows the end from the beginning. “All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be,” the psalmist wrote (Psalm 139:16).

This year we’ll celebrate Thanksgiving the Saturday following the holiday. Our oldest son, who loves to cook, will prepare a turkey dinner. Our youngest son and his girlfriend will drive home from Ebensburg for the day. Three of our five grandchildren will be here. Sometime during the chaos, our daughter, who lives 650 miles away, will call and the phone will be passed around.

The house will ring with laughter and conversation and family love—and remind me that my house is still a home.

You have blessed me with so much, Lord. Remind me in my disgruntled moments to be content with whatever I have—because whatever I have comes from You, the giver of every perfect gift (James 1:17). Amen.

Extra tea: Read and meditate on Philippians 4:4–13

Happy Thanksgiving to my readers!

May God open the windows of heaven and pour out His abundant blessings on you and your families —  a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over — so much you will not have room enough for it!

Love, Michele