O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 136 : 1

The nights are beginning to get chilly now, up here in the mountains. Time to sharpen the ax and ready the wood to be cut for the stove, else face a long cold winter, since that’s the only source of heat I have. Years ago, I suppose I could have installed a propane tank, but then I’d lose that country feel as it were. I could also get a hydraulic wood splitter to make the job easier, but lately cutting wood is about the only form of exercise I get. If I can’t find the time to cut the wood, then I freeze, so I have a real incentive.

Cutting wood, or any of the other detestable manual jobs I do around the ranch, gives me time to pause and reflect of all the things I truly have to be thankful for, and never more so than at this time of the year.

Just as David did in Psalm 136 (the Thank You Psalm, as I refer to it), when he gave thanks to the Lord for all the blessings that were not only bestowed upon him and his family, but to the extension of his nation as well. Over and over again in each and every one of the 26 verses, we see the psalmist thanking his Creator, and really emphasizing it with a punch after each verse by exclaiming, "...for his mercy endureth for ever."

And as I re-read the psalm, I notice that each endureth is italicized, as if the song writer really wanted to make a point. Twenty-six times in 26 verses; over and over again, as if to say, "WOW!!! isn’t this great what the Lord has done for all of us!!! I am so thankful that his mercy endures forever and a day, because without that hope and promise, I’d be lost."

Have you ever tried thinking of all the things you’re thankful for? If you’re like me, after awhile, you need to gather pen and paper, because you end up losing count. And even then, after you fill an entire notebook of thank-yous; experiencing fatigue and writer’s cramp, and can’t possibly think of anything more to thank your Creator for, you suddenly find yourself remembering something else, and thus, the next notebook begins.

Now that I’m in the wood chopping season, I can honestly thank the Lord for the good health He continues to provide for me. That as of yet, my strength has not yet left me. That I’m thankful I have yet to feel my true age (I’m a Baby Boomer and let’s just leave it at that).

I’m thankful I no longer have to deal with snow. That, if I wish, I can drive an hour further into the mountains at about the 7000-foot level and visit it, instead of the white powder forcing it’s way into my life. No more icy windshields. No more shoveling sidewalks. No more car disasters. No more freezing fingers and toes. No more lake-size puddles to have to avoid...

No more making angels, or snowmen, or igloos, or millions of snowballs to bombard the neighborhood enemy camp. No more doing donuts with the car in a large empty parking lot...

Okay, snow does have it’s good and bad points.

Just thinking of what you’re thankful for puts life in perspective. During these particular upcoming holidays there can be so much depression. Relationships are notorious for ending. Ho, ho, ho. In fact, the majority of my liaisons have ended either just before or after Christmas. Once, I was so desponded and depressed over a breakup that I began to plan out my suicide. I knew when, where and how. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the day to arrive.

Somehow we tell ourselves that it’s okay for family and friends to squelch our dreams, but when your love; your most trusted and sacred soul mate gives you the knife, what is there left to live for?

It’s at those dark times that I have continually turned back to my roots; the Word of God. I may not be able to remember verses by book, chapter and verse when everything is going right in my life, but when the rubber meets the road, I’m amazed at what pours forth from within the depths of my soul.

I’m thankful I backed off from the abyss nearly 20 years ago, because just a short time later I became world famous by riding a bike on top of the Great Wall of China. Life has never been the same since. But it would have been very different if I went through with my proposed plan.

Yes, the Lord’s mercy endures for ever...

And I’m very thankful for that.