Many of us have bemoaned the year 2020. And there’s still some year left to feel disappointed and dejected about. I’m writing this piece without much thought. It’s Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving Day. I was just in the kitchen preparing to bake a couple of sweet potato pies for tomorrow and it occurred to me how much complaining I’ve heard about this “year of the pandemic.” I, too, have made a sizeable contribution to painting the image of this being the year from hell. I can certainly understand how we’ve been disappointed by so much this year: family reunions have been cancelled, vacation to that spot you’ve been longing to visit for years has been postponed, little league baseball games didn’t occur. The list of events that didn’t take place this year is longer than you care to think about. Thinking about what didn’t happen only makes you feel more disappointed.
As I was chopping, dicing, and mixing various ingredients to cook the usual Thanksgiving edibles, it occurred to me that there is a ton of small things that are always there to enjoy. Thinking on these things can make this year’s holiday season an enjoyable one despite the dark cloud that seems to follow all of us. It’s autumn. This is a great time of year. I can still sit on our back deck and enjoy the seasonal changes in foliage. I can sit and watch birds of all kinds playfully fly and soar in the winds. I can throw my dog’s ball from one end of the back yard to the next and watch her gleefully chase after it. I can take a walk through my neighborhood and enjoy the brisk air that causes me to wear a light jacket. Tomorrow, although our gathering for Thanksgiving dinner will be small, our son and one of our daughters, it will be a blessed event. The technology that’s available will allow us to connect with whomever we wish, letting them know that we’re thankful that they are yet in our lives.
I’m sure you have many small things that have worked well to get you to this point during 2020. Take a break from the coronavirus update your mayor, governor or other government officials give and meditate on them. Let the spirit of thankfulness overpower you and help you realize that the small things are important always, but especially during times like these. Thank God for the small things; they are pieces to the big picture.
I’m old and blessed…hope you will be too.
oldblessedwordpresscom 
You are so right. There are in each day, a million small things to be thankful for. By focusing too much of our attention on the obvious disappointments, we lose sight of the little things that make up a day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another AMEN from my corner! I started a journal several years ago entitled, A Celebration of Small Things. Each day I write down one or two blessings to help me focus on the positive! It’s been especially helpful this year, no doubt.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for commenting. I’ve been retired for almost eight years, one thing has become evident to me: Although I don’t always have the big production type activity my work offered regularly, each day of my retirement is filled with countless servings of small things that keep me challenged, entertained and far from becoming one of those folks who rot on the vine when they retire. Creation is a platter with countless servings of joy for me to savor.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Although you wrote this almost a month ago on the day before Thanksgiving, and today is the Sunday before Christmas, it’s still a timely post. Every day is a day that the Lord has made — let us rejoice and be glad!
LikeLike
I’m glad you like it. I’ve not been very diligent in posting blogs lately. I’m going through one of my dry spells.. I observe things around me, think about them, but for some reason the words don’t come. I must be experiencing coronavirus fatigue. That sounds like a good excuse.
LikeLiked by 1 person