We have so much to be thankful for. The longer the time grows from my parents passing the more grateful I am for having them in my life. More recently as in a month or so, I've had more than just a couple of friends and relatives go home to be with Jesus. That has me thinking quite a bit about all my friends and family that have gone before. This Blog entry will possible be scattered a little and maybe even hard to follow at times but I promise I will do my best to at least tie it together at some point and actually make it as clear as I can.
This weekend my son and I went on a day hike with his Trail Life troop. When we go on our hikes, whether with the Trail Life troop or just our little family, I try to have teachable moments. We got to the hiking location late and had to play catch up with the troop. I've always tried to teach the twins to be observant of our surroundings and even more so in the woods. We have been on hikes and tracked deer down a wildlife trail and watched tracks in the different trails along the way. Well this time we tracked the Troop. It was quite fun to track the troop and even more fun to watch my son process what he was observing. We tracked the troop to a "crossroads" of trails and lost the track. I texted the leader of the hike while we were there. We didn't hear back until we had decided to stay on the trail we were on, and walk back to the Nature Center at the park. We got back to the center and then saw the reply text, that we were literally right behind them. We did go back and catch up with the troop and hiked back to the Center again. I typed all of this to tell about how walking through these woods with my son and some of his friends and their parents, how it reminded me of my dad taking my mom and me walking through the woods behind my home church and blazing our own trails. It reminded me of when I got my first shotgun and my dad took me into the woods down from our house to practice shooting. I'm trying to bring some of the things my parents did for me to my children. I didn't always appreciate what my parents did as much as I do now. Yes I did appreciate it, but not like I do now and I definitely didn't show that appreciation the way I should have. Until I come to realize the sacrifices they made so that I didn't have to do without, I didn't have a proper level of appreciation. I'm not going to go through and type out everything my parents did for me simply because it would get very long. Some of the things they did may even seem insignificant to many of you but to me it is now a big deal. Many times they would sacrifice buying something they needed for themselves so I could have something that was a want. I wish my mom and dad could read this and know how much I miss them and appreciate everything they did for me. Better yet I wish I could talk to them for just another 15 minutes or so. One thing I'd never do is to wish I could bring them back. I know it sounds weird but follow me on this. As much as I would love to have them back, I can not bring myself to wish them missing one moment of Heaven because of my selfish desires. Now, I do wish they could see all these grand babies and great grand babies. My wife and I were talking tonight about upcoming Christmas celebrations and how my mom and dad would be so very proud of their babies. How mom and especially my dad would probably cry. Then we talked about how we would probably be crying this year for the same reasons my parents would have.
This year some things have changed. I have had to make some life changes so that I can be around a little longer. This isn't to say that I can buy any extra time if it is time for me to leave this earth, but I can make what time I have on this earth more enjoyable and at least make an effort to be here as long as I can. I'd love to meet my grand kids someday, if God grants me that opportunity. The Joy that I get from seeing my great nieces is indescribable and I can only imagine what grands will be like one day. I pray that I am doing what I can to teach my kids right so that they will pass it along to their children and their children for generations, regardless of what the World tries to teach them.
As I mentioned I have made some life changes that will have an affect on the holidays this year. I have changed my eating plan to become more healthy. I have cut my carbohydrates drastically and began focusing more on fats and proteins. My eating plan is not Full Blown Keto, but it is a combination of Paleo, modified Mediterranean, and Keto. I've adjusted my carb intake to allow 50g of carbs per day, but I am usually staying well under that. I am really trying to shoot for 20g per day but that isn't ultimate, it's a secondary objective. I want to be around 20 per day but I'm not upset if I hit 50, which is still in my healthy range. There are a couple of way that my eating plan ties in to the rest of the story. One, I am getting healthier and it is helping me be able to get out and spend more time in the wood with my family which I am grateful. Two, I have family and friends that are supporting me in my efforts to have a healthier life. I am grateful for this as well. If you have never been in this position then you can't exactly understand, but think of it this way. We have been taught to eat a balanced diet of Carbs, Protein and Fats. Then it went to Low Fat diets and sugars were added to the Low Fat foods. Until more recently Low fat was the way to go. Finally some studies are coming out about how fats aren't as bad as they first thought, it's the simple carbs that are killing us. Simple sugars/ simple carbs are feeding disease across our nation. The problem is we have been "Fed" this other way of eating for years now and it's hard to find options for me to eat as my eating plan provides, they way to good health for me. Here is how this second point ties in. My friends and family have been sending recipes and/or testing recipes so I can enjoy these holiday meals. I'm not asking them to sacrifice their enjoyment just so I can eat, but they are doing it all on their own. They are being proactive in these efforts to keep me on my healthy eating plan and still get to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas meals with my family. I appreciate this more than I can ever effectively communicate it.
This year I am giving thanks for friends and family, and most of all God's provision for me and for all of them. There will be more things coming in regards to my health goals including at least one fundraising hike next year (more about that later). For now, Thank You God for Your divine providence. Providing me with what I never imagined needing and removing what I do not need.
I pray for each one that reads this blog and realizes the Blessings God has granted you. Enjoy this Holiday season and give thanks.
God Bless YOU!
(and I hope there is something in this mess of a blog to Bless you and provide you hope)
