We Americans have such an overabundance of blessings, resources, and technological wizardry that it's become rather easy to forget the simple blessings of life.  I wonder if our families ever forget about the blessings of "us!" After all, where would this week be if we weren't there?  I mean, isn't it true; aren't you the chief chef residing over the Thanksgiving table, or the aunt who's been assigned to the potato casserole, or the married daughter who will adorn the buffet with her famous cranberry salad?  Whatever your role, this week will do one thing: it will once again focus your attention to family, food, and fellowship.
 
But there's a higher focus not to be missed: it's a blessing that promises to soothe the sore of any woman who does not have a family in which to share the turkey, or the invitation to bake the pecan pie, and it's the opportunity for remembrance and giving thanks.  
 
Perhaps it's time to reflect. Those early pilgrims who landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620 faced perilous dangers: weather, Indians, shortage of food.  Indeed the Mayflower voyage and the ship became famous as an icon of a treacherous one-way trip to a new life. As daughters of the King of Glory, this is a pinnacle week for us to celebrate our new life in Christ, allowing the "gratitude attitude" to arise in our hearts for the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross in granting us the promise of a better life to come.
 
God's command to His daughters during the holidays remains clear:

Rendering thank offerings to our Lord fulfills our roles as earthly pilgrims, in which Webster's Dictionary defines them as people who journey to a sacred place as an act of devotion. Aren't we on a pilgrimage to the throne of the Almighty?  Aren't we looking toward our sacred physical dwelling place of the Most High God?
 
Yes, we are journeymen to a final destination of glory. But while we travel, we can be good stewards of our command to be thankful women. So with renewed focus, and a desire to return to the simple blessings of life, I invite you to move 'Beyond the Pilgrim Story' into your own experience this week in giving thanks. 
 
Have a blessed week of Thanksgiving and Thanksliving!
 
Blessed and favored,
Pam
 
Psalm 111:1 - I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart.
Psalm 109:30 - I will give thanks to the Lord abundantly.
Psalm 109:30 - I will give thanks to the Lord in the midst of many.
Psalm 30:4 - I will give thanks to the Lord in remembrance of His name.