Like many others, I have been unhappy about the gradual disappearance of Thanksgiving from the cultural consciousness between the candy sales and casual demonism of Halloween and the corporate hype of Christmas. But rather than complaining I have seen quite a few people make November a month of gratitude. I like that solution, and I would like to give it my support, and give some gratitude for those who are helping to make sure that we take time out of our lives to show gratitude to others. While I’m not sure that I can come up with 30 different things to be thankful for this month of November, I think that I have plenty in life to be grateful for these thirty days of November. Without any further ado (and without seeking to embarrass anyone by naming them), I would like to comment on those things I am grateful for and will remain grateful for throughout this entire month (and likely far beyond). Without any further ado, let us begin.

First, I am thankful to God for keeping me safe and sound in a very difficult time. Seeing God provide safety for me as well as blessings (with more to come in the future, no doubt) has been a very gratifying experience for me. Much could have gone wrong, not only for me, but within me as well. And yet keeping a control of my temper, even when I had sufficient provocation, allowed me to avoid destroying the good fortune that God was willing to provide based on the experience of the past couple of months. Good fortune does not look like it in the process, necessarily, but after the fact one can see the blessing, and show gratitude for it.

I am particularly grateful to my friends. At every step of the way, I have been graciously and hospitably treated by friends. Whether we are talking about housing, meals, spending cash, rides, and general sociability, my friends have been very gracious to me, far beyond what I have any right to demand. I can only hope that I may be blessed in such a way to repay such generosity myself, either to those who have been generous to me or to other friends in the future. Either way, I will not ever forget the generosity that has been shown to me in times of great need, or the hospitality and friendliness of those whom I have just met and who have proven themselves to be generous to a stranger. God often shows his favor through people, and so it has been the case for me.

In another sense, I owe a (largely unknowing) city a great deal of gratitude as well. It has been a pleasure getting to know the area of Portland. The area has a generally friendly feeling, full of outgoing and gracious people. So far, from what I have been able to see, I have made more friends in the suburban areas of Portland than in the city itself. But I have appreciated all of the areas I have seen, whether it is the quirkiness of Portland, the natural beauty of the hills, the mix of suburbs and rural remnants of Vancouver, or the posh suburbs of Clackamas County. And I have also enjoyed the friendliness of Redmond and the hipness of Bend. Different areas have different aspects to appreciate, but so long as people behave with friendliness and respect toward me, I generally do not have problems with them. Oregon seems to have a pretty strong egalitarian streak as well as a certain amount of social cohesion and friendliness toward others, and that’s something I greatly appreciate.

It is my hope that I will continue to have much to be grateful for during the remainder of the month. Whatever the circumstances of our lives, we all have something to be thankful for, whether it is our lives, our relationships, our communities, our opportunities for a better future, our good memories of the past, or any other number of worthwhile gifts. It is often very easy to see what we are missing and lose track of what we have. Let us therefore remember to take the time to show gratitude this November. A little gratitude helps us to live life with a better attitude. And that can only be a good thing.