And Now For Something Completely Different

So today is Thanksgiving. I have a lot to be thankful for...and I am. But this morning I wasn't too sure. I was waiting around waiting for Tracey to wake up and thought I might invite her for a walk. She was pretty negative at first...it was pre coffee. But by the end of her cup of Joe she decides she wants to go. "Okay then...lets get ready to go" I says. "Okay...just a minute" she says.

First she checks the weather to see what the temp is outside...it was 30. Then she has to get her walking attire just right...a couple of outfit changes and she's finally ready to go...15 minutes later...I'm starting to have my doubts about this.

But she is finally ready to go and we head out into the cold. So we head down the street and the very first thing she does is try to hold my hand. Now trust me...I love holding my wifes hand...always have always will...but not when we're walking walking. So I have to tell her no...I'm having serious doubts about this now. But we keep walking...and she is talking. Now trust me...I love to hear my wife talk. She has kept us in many conversations over the years when I'm ready to pack it in and head for the cave. But while I'm walking walking?

Walking for me is a very solitary endeavor. It is about quieting my mind and heart and listening for God. But this woman...doesn't know quiet...she likes to be together and when together talk. I am really having extremely serious doubts about this joint venture.

As we approach the hill she says "you would probably have preferred to walk by yourself...right?" I thought for just a second and said "no...I wanted to walk with you." That was the right answer. It has been the right answer for almost 32 years. You see, I know me. I know what I am like...and frankly...left to my own devices I would be a wreck...a shipwreck. But Tracey has been the steady presence in my life...not the quiet presence...but steady.

God has used her over and over again in my life to cause me to grow...to come out of the cave and enjoy the sunshine. Like God, I know she will always love me...despite the who I am. So I am thankful for many things this day...but I am most thankful for the wife God gave me in my youth.