Paul wrote a short letter to his friends and toward the end of it he said, “No matter what the circumstances, give thanks.”
The words “give thanks” in Greek are one really long, odd sounding word, “eucharisteo.” And when you break apart that word into its roots, you get “eu” which means “good” and “charis” which means “gift” or “grace.”
Giving thanks brings tangible goodness into the world. Practicing thankfulness makes new friends and grows our capacity for empathy and I think friendship and empathy are needed in extra-large doses these days.
Today, I am thankful for nine holes with Dad and a daughter who served as a cart caddy.
I am thankful for baseball and laughter and all the joy over thousands of miles in the Bryan Family Millennium Falcon.
I am thankful for college acceptance letters and soul-healing violin music.
I am thankful for art that leaves me in awe.
I am thankful someone calls me Uncle E.
I am thankful for Mom’s constant encouragement and support through all of my ridiculous endeavors.
I am thankful for Jamie’s faithful patience, scheduling flexibility, and sense of humor.
I am thankful for ridiculously good health and that all tendons remained attached and bones are whole.
I am thankful for all the new friends I’ve made (460+ different catch partners!) and stories I’ve heard this year.
And I am so thankful for every single catch-playing day of 2018.
After Thanksgiving brisket and cheesy corn and green beans and rolls and before Jamie’s homemade apple pie (SO THANKFUL FOR THIS, TOO!), in my parents’ backyard, I played catch with Dad and Kaylea and Sophie and Jamie.
The only thing for which I am not thankful is the dwindling number of catch playing days left in 2018.