Getting Ready for Thanksgiving . . .

The holidays are coming. Christmas, of course, but first -- Thanksgiving.
Each week the temperature steps down a few more degrees. More leaves fall, and each day has a little less daylight than the day before. We've had robins and cardinals at the holly-berry pantry under our living room windows, and the back-yard squirrel family keeps hauling acorns away to their winter hiding places.
We were out with one of the four-year-olds the other night. She was excited to see the moon and the stars. She thought it was funny that God would want night lights.
Sometimes I wonder how much I allow to pass by without notice. Every season, every day offers testimony to God's care and faithfulness. I've seen autumn before, so I don't watch or listen to experience what is unique to this autumn.
I want to have eyes to see and ears to hear what God is doing all around me; I want to pay attention; I want to notice Him at work in His creation. For praise and thanksgiving to be genuine and fresh, I need to be aware of what it is I am praising and thanking God for.
I'm starting to get ready for Thanksgiving and all the rest of the holiday season, and I'm starting by paying attention.