I recently received the quarterly newsletter from the church I attend during my winter stays in Fort Myers Beach.  I always look forward to reading Pastor Jeanne’s column.  In this recent newsletter, she started her column with the following request:

“Can you take a minute to jot down five things for which you are thankful? Really, I
mean do it now. What some of you may find is that a flood of thankfulness comes over
you and your list is quite long. Remember the song “Count Your Blessings?” It seems
that when we begin to focus on blessings the cares fly away and we find that we have
much more to be thankful for than we could have imagined. As our attitude changes,
things that worried us a moment ago are no longer important.” 

Pastor Jeanne of the Beach United Methodist Church

I did the excercise and Pastor Jeanne was right – I had way more than five things.  Making the list put me in a very positive reflective mood and inspired me to write this post..

There’s a lot I have to be thankful for.  Several of the items on my list involve people.  I am so grateful for my family and friends.  I’m also grateful for the people who help me – the ones I know and the ones I don’t know like doctors, nurses, police, EMT’s, military, and firefighters who work to keep all of us alive, healthy. and safe.

But, I also had things related to what I was able to do and accomplish this year.  I’m thankful that I still have a desire, motivation, and ability to travel all over the country. I feel blessed to be able to get out and do what I do.

J. Dawg on the Oregon Trail this past June at Scotts Bluff National Monument

I’m thankful for all the people who work to preserve our National Parks and historic sites and make them available for us to see and experience.  I’m thankful to God for all the natural beauty and wonder that I got to see this year.  And I’m thankful to Him for watching out for me and keeping me safe on road.

Last year I wrote a blog post thanking the small number of subscribers who follow my travels on this blog and on my YouTube channel.  Over the past year, the number of subscribes has almost tripled on all my sites.  I guess I’m doing something right.  I write these blog posts and make the videos because it gives me great personal pleasure.  That fact that it also pleases others is the icing on the cake.

I thank each and every one of you who follow my travels, read my articles, and view my videos.  I’m grateful that you find value in them, take the time to follow me, and engage with your feedback.

I encourage all who read this to do Pastor Jeanne’s excercise and see the blessings in your life.  Also, I wish all of you the best during this upcoming season of Thanksgiving.