You've probably had a tough year!

It seems a common theme among may of our friends. And it holds true for us as well. It has simply been a tough year.

Clouds seem to have gathered for many of us. In between us, we've had trouble with family, finances, relationships, health issues, loved ones getting sick, loved ones dying, employment, and with the things we own...our houses, cars, clothes and more.

It is so easy for me to focus on the negatives in my life. To look at the desert and remember how bleak and dry so much of the landscape appears to be.

But, as Thanksgiving approaches, I hope to remember the good things that have happened this year. The plenty of things that I can be thankful for.

Won't you join me in seeing the flowers in the desert just a little bit as Thanksgiving Day approaches?

And this doesn't apply to every situation, but it is something to consider:

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)