This weekend marks our Canadian Thanksgiving. Major cities vacate and our highways become chaotic as people escape to see family  or visit their cottages before the snow flies.

As a single mom, I cherished the every-other Thanksgiving celebration I had with my girls. It usually meant meeting up with my family as we would winterize our trailers and cottages.  We packed our suitcases with finger mittens and warm woolly fleece jackets to enjoy our romp in the crunchy leaves while whispering to Lake Ontario that we would see her next spring.

Being thankful wasn’t always easy and the stinkin’ thinkin’ could so easily creep in. The smell of the roasting turkey seeping out of the cottage smelled wonderful, yet I felt sadness pulsing through my heart on this single mom journey. If I wasn’t careful, I could become ungrateful. As our family  went around the table to say what they were thankful for it was good to pause and remind myself there was much to rejoice in.

I Thessalonians 5:18, Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.

As a Single mom, I had to refocus on this life with thankfulness.

• God choose me to be a part of His eternal family
• God helped me in every situation as a single mom even when I complained
• I could enjoy every minute of the Autumn/thanksgiving season with or without my girls because God was with me
• I breathed in and appreciated walking in the leaves, strolling beside the Lake, and eating Turkey every Thanksgiving; and extra special when my girls joined me.

OPEN YOUR TOOL BOX: I see a pad and paper to write out things to be thankful for

• You may not be celebrating the Canadian Thanksgiving but with pad and paper write out this Autumn what you are thankful for
• Start a new tradition this Thanksgiving/Autumn season
• When you start with stinkin’ thinkin’, call a friend to help put things in perspective
• Ask God for a thankful heart. It will be a rippling effect on your kids

YOU CAN DO THIS!!