Thanks For the Blessings

In years past, on this day (Thanksgiving), I made it a point to call my sister in Wichita and visit about whatever happened to come up. During the cell phone era (that sounds weird, but with texting, Facebook, Skype, and other means of communication, simple conversations on cell phones seem rather passé), I would many times call while we were on our way to somewhere for Thanksgiving dinner.
Now that we live in Wichita and see her more often, that phone call doesn’t seem so important anymore. We have better contact with one-another, and with many others in our circle of friends and relatives, due in large part to the Internet and modern communications. I don’t know that we communicate earth-shattering things to those others in our circle, but certainly we catch glimpses of life and living that we otherwise would not see. For some, that means little. For others, it’s a healthy way to maintain those ties that bind.
I remember years ago when communication was by letter. Long distance phone calls were a luxury and were saved for the most important news. In our family, the death of a loved one was fodder for a long distance call. Sometimes engagements were too, but most often those were handled by letter. A tragic accident or someone in the hospital usually resulted in one or more long distance calls. Other than that, it was a rare privilege to speak to someone in another town in Kansas, let alone across the country.
Now, however, I can keep up with friends in Western Kansas where we used to live, loved ones from various communities and churches where we lived and worshipped, high school classmates, relatives, and others I know. It’s easy and it’s enjoyable for me to know some things that these people choose to reveal, and a privilege to be counted among their friends, even if that friendship is Facebook friendship, and not the more traditional meaning of the word.
So, this Thanksgiving season, enjoy what God has given you. Thank Him for His abundance and blessings. And count among those blessings the opportunity to keep in touch, however you choose to do it.