A Time and A Season of Gratitude!

A few weeks ago, Thanksgiving came early as I was able to travel a few hours in order to visit family in the hill country.  This made up for being on my own for yesterday's Thanksgiving holiday.  Not wanting to waste away the day in nothing-ness, I set out for Sherman, Texas.  Someone asked me, "What's in Sherman?"  My response was meant to be humorous, "Don't know...never been there before!"  Ha ha!  I did have a loose itinerary as I performed an internet search of activities available in the Sherman area.  First on the list was West Hill Cemetery.  As some of you may already know from reading a few of the previous blog posts,  I am an active genealogist on the Find A Grave website.  My great-grandfather's brother and sister-in-law are interred in this cemetery, and for quite some time I've been wanting to go check it out.  Having never been to this particular cemetery, finding it wasn't very difficult; however, figuring out the layout of the graveyard was a little more challenging.  Thankfully, there was a map posted on their Find A Grave memorial page.  Once parked, I simply walked row by row until finding the distant family's headstone.  After paying my respects, I took a casual walk and saw a few other familiar surnames.  Not sure if they are related, but curious enough to maybe research the names and dates once I get back home.  After leaving the cemetery, I headed over to Herman Baker Park.  For those who live in the area, they should be blessed by this city treasure.  Visiting the park was the gem of my trip to Sherman.  Other than some litter on the hiking trail, the grounds seemed well-maintained.  My back was feeling up to the challenge, so I set out on their mile-and-a-half hiking trail.  Wow...beautiful!  If I'm ever in the area again, I'm definitely coming back out here.  The last item on the list of adventures was the Grayson County Courthouse.  Of course, it was closed for the holiday; however, there were plenty of items of historical significance to peruse.  I probably spent a good half-hour checking out the downtown square.  Feeling satisfied about the results of the trip, I bade farewell to Sherman, Texas, and set back out on the open road toward Fort Worth.  Spotting an IHOP on the frontage road of the Interstate, I figured it would be a safe bet they were open for the holiday.  This, in essence, was my Thanksgiving meal, and I was very blessed and full of gratitude for the day and what Father God has blessed me with.  Yes, I can still grumble at all the unfilled dreams and goals of this life; however, obedience to God's Will transcends anything I could every conjure in my thoughts and desires.  What is Thanksgiving without a list of my blessings?  Jesus, my residence of almost eleven years, family, true friends, sobriety, and so much more.  If you are a follow of Jesus, every day should be a day of thanksgiving.  Don't grumble like I do or like the children of Israel did while wandering the desert.  Look heavenward and praise God for who He is.  Happy Thanksgiving!

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