::: giving thanks:::

 two roads diverged in a wood, and i-

i took the one less traveled by.

and that has made all the difference.

-robert frost

 today marks "thanksgiving" for me here in japan. while it is officially tomorrow in america, i am reminded of one thing: every day is a day to give thanks!


the changing of the seasons here are not only beautiful but also a part of japan's rich cultural story. each season shares a bit more about the "life" of japan. our own  lives are much and the same. each changing of season, while some rough, maybe some smooth... tell a story about us.

japan is just now passing from autumn to winter. the こうよう( autumn colors) bear witness to how something as vulnerable as the trees shedding their leaves can be both beautiful and graceful.

walking through the grocery today, i began laughing to myself as I watched a child in her stroller throwing her arms and kicking her legs about in a tantrum uncomfortable in all her winter clothing. she wanted it off. now! i throw similar tantrums "inside" sometimes... i want things to remain the same. i like consistency. but growth in this life to its very fullest can never come about without seasons... with out change.

as i have stopped to look upon the beauty of the changing seasons here in japan, i discover...the full color and beauty only comes when we don't fight the change. each and every day is an opportunity for us to give thanks, share the goodness of what that day has for us. if the day requires a "shedding"... shed. this very day, God might have chosen for you to be one of the many trees in the forest that must "shed and die". what you + i cannot see is the masterpiece He is creating when we must do so.

" This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it" 
-Psalm 118:24 
living a life of thanks is not easy by any means. i see many others doing it much better than me. its much easier to grumble. living a life of thanks means living a life of worship. in spirit. in truth. in action. it means being the best possible expression of His love that I can be each and every day.

New apple farmer buddy: Nakenida farms

it is more than a どもありがとうございます ( thank you very much)... its a living it out, こころからdeep かんしゃします (I'm grateful)。I am grateful for many things today... for wonderful people in my life, for my family, for having more than enough of what I need to live daily, and for even the extras. I fail miserably at living this out well though. I am grateful to God for life ( oh how many of you don't even realize what a miracle it is to be alive), for this day and for his amazing love, but I often miss the many "little" opportunities to live it well in "worship". While the seasons of my life may each appear different, I want them to tell the story, "主をさんびします(I worship/praise God)".

To some who read this, it may seem unfitting to your life,maybe you don't believe in God or believe that he created your life with purpose but thirteen years ago I made a choice to continue down one road or go down another. Just like you and I make choices everyday. I chose the one less traveled by. i chose the road because I saw something of Gods beauty along it.  my life has never been the same since... but it has also never been better! some seasons have been more graceful than others but regardless of my stubbornness, His love and faithfulness has remained the same... constant like rich soil

Shiho san　しほさ

for me to grow in year after year. often, i get to see the beauty of what He is making out of you and me; the forest and the trees!

each of our lives have great purpose. you were made and given life in order to be a "daily expression of His rich goodness" . though daily we make mistakes, nothing in you was made with mistake. everything you  + i do is an opportunity for us to express our gratitude.

 主たかんしゃしましょう！( lets give thanks to God), for all that we have been given. We can do this in worship by , "こころをつくし,せいしんをつくし、おもいをつくして、主なるあなたのかみをあいせよ" -Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind.”Matthew マタイの （ふくいんしょ）22：37