Sunday, October 11, 2015

Thankful


It is Thanksgiving here in Canada and I want to wish my Canadian readers a Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm grateful to have an officially sanctioned time each year to to pause the ordinary course of events and reflect on the goodness of God and the blessings in my life.

Of course one doesn't need to wait and give thanks only once per year. I try to do that on a frequent basis but it is still nice to have one holiday called Thanksgiving. Even more so if one knows the purpose of the holiday.

Life comes with it's share of sorrows, trials and tribulations and it can make some people very bitter.

But there are also times of  joy and happy moments. Daily too there are little things that give our lives added beauty, joy and meaning and put a smile on our faces if we let them..  As a person with an abiding faith I also hold on to the scripture that says 

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

No matter what happens I feel that God will work it out in the end if I just trust Him.
Things always happen for a reason and sometimes we do not know what those reasons are in the moment.
Only later can we look back with greater clarity and understanding.

That is the Burrard Street Bridge in background and on the right is the beginning of the West End (Downtown).

I am grateful for so many things, large and small.
Sometimes I just need to stop and think hard about what those things are. Sometimes we lose sight of the goodness and the blessings when everything is not going the way it should or the way we would like.  Those are the times when it is even more important to consider how blessed we really are.

The bridge above is Granville Street Bridge. The highrises in back are Fairview Slopes area.

I'm grateful for living in a beautiful city and having beautiful places to visit, either alone or with friends.
On the day of these photos, my friend invited me to Granville Island after stopping a very nice place for coffee in another part of town. But on other days, I have visited alone and still have a wonderful time having coffee or lunch, buying fruits and vegetables and people watching.

Another view of Burrard Street Bridge.

I'm always awestruck by the beautiful scenery at the waterfront no matter what part of the waterfront I happen to be visiting in this city.

This day it was rather quiet at Granville Island. It is a long weekend, Thanksgiving weekend.  I  suspect many people have left the City to be with family and loved ones.


I am grateful I have family and loved ones too.

Though my family is small, I love them dearly.
I am grateful that though my elderly mom is sick she is still here and I can talk to her each day.
I pray daily for her many needs:  for compassionate and helpful caregivers and that God would help her memory which is starting to fade, relieve her pain and help her in every way.

I am also grateful that this Thanksgiving, I have loved ones who will join me for Thanksgiving Dinner and that I can still make the odd large meal though I don't cook one nearly so often.   Even if I couldn't we would still gather and dine on rotisserie chicken and other fixings. 
The important thing is just to be together.


On the day I visited Granville Island there was a break in the weather and the sun came out. That may seem like a small thing too.  But it is the little things that add up to make pleasant days and beautiful weeks and months and years if we take the time to appreciate them.

We will have a few sunny days this week. I'm grateful for that too because it won't be too long before the winter rains come.

Bridges is a very popular restaurant on the Island. They have large deck on the other side where you can sit and enjoy the view.

There are so many more things for which I am grateful but I won't enumerate them all.
Mainly I wanted to share these photos that I took a few days ago.

They depict a very small part of Granville Island.
If you are interested, I've posted several other times about Granville Island and in more detail.
If you would like to read them you can find them here.

Thank you for stopping by.
Have a great week!

18 comments:

Linda said...

Beautiful photos! Happy Thanksgiving to you as well, my fellow Canadian blogger. :)

Unknown said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Annie Jeffries said...

Six more weeks for us. I'm looking forward to all the traditional foods and the football game. Happy Thanksgiving to you all, up NORTH.

Jo said...

Thanks for the Scripture, Penny. I also try to give thanks in everything. The hard part is thanking Him for even a negative or stagnant situation in our lives. Happy Thanksgiving to you! Blessings Jo

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Red said...

You have many wonderful things to be thankful for. It's good that you recognize things that you should be thankful for.

Nancy Chan said...

Happy Thanksgiving Day to you, Joyful! I pray that we will never stop giving thanks to our Creator God, our Heavenly Father.

Gattina said...

Happy Thanksgiving ! Indeed your city looks very pleasant !

Lady Fi said...

So lovely!

Stephanie said...

You posted beautiful images of a place I loved visiting when I lived in Vancouver. When we visit now, I try to get over there when I can. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Happy Thanksgiving! Your meditative post is lovely for the day , and for any day at all of course. Beautiful pictures too?

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Not meant to be a question mark there. My iPad does weird things sometimes. There is no question at all about how lovely your area and your photos are.

Mari said...

Happy belated Thanksgiving! So much to be thankful for... I love the clouds in your photos.

KB said...

Love the pics. Happy Thanksgiving!

Denise said...

happy thanksgiving, be blessed

jabbott said...

Happy Thanksgiving giving my friend x

John's Island said...

Hi Joyful, A well done post, indeed. As I've mentioned in the past when you've posted pictures of Vancouver, they often make me want to visit the city and this time is no exception. You know how much I love Seattle, but in all honesty, there is one city that I think is more beautiful and you are living in it. :-) Wishing you a fine weekend ahead!

Jan said...

Lovely thanksgiving post Penny. Sorry i missed sending you wishes but here I am now. Wishes to you in abundance and the k you for your presence . Xxx

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