Thankful

In the middle of the night a middle-aged man woke with a jolt.  For months he had been praying for something to be thankful for and for months, he received no clear answer to his prayers.

The clock read 3:23 a.m.  His answer had arrived.

He didn’t know it, though.  To him, it was a nightmare or a dream or gas or something. He flipped the pillow over to the cool side, pulled the covers back over him and went back to sleep.

The next morning, the world seemed different to him.  He noticed how beautiful his wife looked when she was sleeping.  He had seen her lying there over 6,500 times — but today, well, today he realized how lucky he was to be married to her.

He walked out in his kitchen and felt so glad to be living in such a nice house.  He knew it could be much worse. Heck, he was glad to have a home.  The sunrise coming through the window was the finest he had ever seen.  It bathed his kitchen in a warm light.

The pantry cabinet door swung open, revealing a wide variety of breakfast cereal. He had good, nutritious foods to eat for breakfast.  He said a prayer of thanks before he ate.

As he was brushing his teeth, he realized he had great teeth.  Heck, he had good health. What a blessing.  His mood was very good for some reason. Must have been the floss.

He helped his boys get to the school bus.  What fine children he had. They were smart and (most of the time) well-behaved.  When he looked at them in this light, his heart nearly beat out of his chest.

The old car in the garage hadn’t been good enough yesterday.  His neighbor had a really cool truck he would rather have. But when he looked at this morning, the words “Paid for,” burst into his mind.  Suddenly the old car looked new to him.

He grabbed his computer bag and went into the bathroom where his wife was getting ready.  He saw her in a new way, appreciating everything she did around the house while he was busy on the road and work.  Her eyes were bluer. Her face prettier. And his love was stronger.

He had troubles. And he had problems. But for the first time, he realized most of them were opportunities dressed in wolf’s clothing. He knew he was blessed to have them.

As he sipped his coffee and drove down his street toward the office, he realized his prayers had been answered  — he had had plenty to be thankful for all along.  Now he had the ability to see it.

And for that, he was thankful.