In Defense of Insufferable Thankfulness

I've looked forward to November for a while now, and it's not because I've given up shaving for a month. For the last couple of years, I've jumped on the 30 Days of Thanks bandwagon - posting on Facebook one thing for which I am thankful every day of the month. I love posting the happy little nuggets, and I've gotten the Warm Fuzzies from reading other peoples' posts. This year, I had planned to take to Instagram to celebrate 30 Days of Thanks and post a picture of the Thankful each day. Mental lists were made. Photo ideas were practiced. I was ready to Thank it up.

And then even before I had posted my first Thanks, the Haters started squawking on Facebook. You know - the "I'm thankful that all my friends who post the obnoxious Thankful posts will get sick of it by Day 5" and the like. It smarted a bit. I tried to brush it off. I posted a second day. The Anti-30 Days of Thanks posts kept coming. There were more Anti posts than Thanks posts this year. The enthusiasm drained from my heart, and I vowed not to be "one of those" obnoxious Thankers this year.

Today as I looked forward to having dinner with two of my dear friends who have laughed and loved with me for over 15 years, my heart welled up with thankfulness. I would have gotten just as mushy about these friends if it had been January, but today I wanted to Shout it From the Facebook Rooftops.

These girls. So Thankful. 

But I didn't. Because I didn't want to be an obnoxious thanker.

And then, I looked at AugDog (who would have gotten the Thankfulness Shout Out on Day 8, had I not wimped out) and said "Why should I hide my Thanks? Geez, Aug, there's so much to be thankful for! Why not just celebrate our blessings for a whole month?"

If I can share internet stories about chameleons trained to ride tiny bicycles, political commentary, vegetarian recipes, and photos of things like piles of leaves, why can't I enjoy a month of Thankfulness?

And before anyone counters with "Why not be thankful all year, when you really feel moved to celebrate, instead of inundating us with "I'm so thankful for Peppermint Mochas!!!!" and equally quotidian drivel?", I'll say:

Because it is November.

And in November, it starts getting dark at 4:30, and it's cold, and the holidays are coming up quickly. And the holidays are not Blissful Months of  Glitter and Angels for everyone. And because sometimes counting our blessings is the best way to ward off the sneaky onset the winter doldrums. And because, blast it all, I have so so so much to be thankful for.

And I need reminders to Give Thanks in all circumstances; for the daily doses of common grace and the people and animals who bring joy to my life every day, for the food and coffee and shelter and plenty. Practicing gratitude all year, and especially, maybe, at this time of year, can help retrain my heart to remember to Give Thanks in the face of illness and fear and stress and want and pain, and when I'm scraping the ice from my windshield for the 400th time.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His love endures forever. 

I'd list the Bible reference for that verse, but it appears a dozen or so times in the Psalms alone. Maybe it's pretty important?

Haters Gonna Hate.