When I was growing up, my mom was an absolute stickler for good manners and followed Emily Post religiously. When holidays or birthdays came and we children received gifts from relatives, the thank you notes came out and we were tasked with writing a thank you note to each person, naming the gift and telling how useful it would be for us and how much we sincerely appreciated it. When I graduated, I can remember having a mountain of gifts to write about, mostly checks or cash, that would help me in my quest to go to college. I wrote thank you notes for days, it seems, until at last, I was done and my mother was satisfied that I had fulfilled my duty to my family members and friends who had been so thoughtful.

I formed a habit in my youth of writing thank you cards to people who had gone out of their way to provide something for me. As I read my devotional this morning and this Scripture verse was part of it, I realized that sometimes I take God’s gifts for granted and become like one of the nine lepers who walked away without thanking the Lord. Last week when I got out of the hospital, I thanked God before I left but then, as I was getting into my own bed that night, I remembered that I had not said thank you once I got home. I was beyond grateful to be around all of my familiar things, eating food my husband and I chose together, and going to the bathroom whenever I needed to do so. I had only been home for a few hours and already I was taking these things for granted. How often do each of us do that in our daily lives? I am more aware than ever of my total dependence on God for every breath I take, for the minutes without my head aching or my blood pressure spiking, for life in general and the blessings that I have every day.

If I sat down to write a thank you note to God, I don’t think I have enough paper in the house for all the gratitude that I have. Last night, one of my young grandchildren called to FaceTime me and practice her new skill of reading. What a delight to be able to share that time with her! I talked to my daughter about the other children and some challenges with school this year. I sent a birthday wish to my daughter-in-law and got photos of her outings with her family. I talked to my sister for a couple of hours, both of us grateful that I was alive and able to talk and laugh together. So many, many things to be thankful for! And everything comes from God…my health, my family, my peace, and most of all my faith and belief that God is with me now and in the future. I am more aware than ever of just how quickly life can change and how grateful we should be that God is in control and His love is operating in our lives.