It is sort of cliché that we begin, literally a couple of days before thanksgiving, to think of all the things we are thankful for. We seem to become more mindful of our blessings as the frenzy for the perfect turkey continues. My feeling of being blessed and thankful is beyond measure and is a constant companion to me. I understand the nature of why I am blessed and showing that I am thankful is the “least” thing I could do. How do you show it ? You live it every day of the year and not just the week that traditionally we pause to “count our blessings”. You see, most of the time, I can’t count mine. This year, in particular, there are so many, it’s ridiculous. But maybe your definition of a blessing determines how many you got to count. According to Webster: Main Entry: blessing Function : noun Date: before 12th century 1 a: the act or words of one that blesses b: approval , encouragement 2: a thing conducive to happiness or welfare 3: grace said at a meal. So, based on that definition alone one can quickly see why there would be so many. In the Bible, in Proverbs 28:20, it says, “A faithful man shall abound with blessings…”Or how about this one, “Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” W.T. Purkiser. and finally this from C.S. Lewis, ”When we lose one blessing, another is often, most unexpectedly, given in its place.” This unexpected blessing is always a significant one as it reminds us that God knows us and is near and watching over us and really knows what we need when, many times we do not. I received a HUGE and TOTALLY unexpected blessing this year. It was called the RIDE:WELL BIKE TOUR. Nothing, and I do mean N-O-T-H-I-N-G, could have been any more unexpected from my God. He really went all out, and “far out”, on this one. But the totally humbling and amazing thing is , He knew. The fact that He knew, still brings me to tears. He knew, before I even talked to Aaron and David. He knew before I said anything to my wife because He told her what to say. It could have all been so different at so many points , I cannot begin to tell you. But, He knew and continued to show me “all things are possible” when obedient. Blessings came in so many ways and from so many directions during the entirety of the ride. It would take a long time to individually list them. The paradox of it all was as we were being blessed, we were blessing others. And, the great thing is that many times we didn’t realize this. As the definition above states “ the act or words of one that blesses” pretty much sums up the bike ride. We blessed a lot of people by the simple act of repetitively turning pedals day after day and just talking to people and speaking our hearts and sharing our love for Jesus. I very much remember standing on a stage in Tyler Texas and receiving a standing ovation from the crowd who had come to hear a concert. I thought, fighting back the tears, who am I…I just ride a bike. It was there that I realized this crazy thing that I am doing is a blessing to a lot of people who I don’t even know. And I am sure that there were many more that I wasn’t even aware of. So, the thanksgiving season has unusual significance this year for me and I hope it does for you too. After the turkey is consumed and the football is over and the post turkey nap is in maybe, just maybe, we will remember to look for the blessings in the most unusual and totally unexpected places.