A Thankful Heart

Luke 17:15-16 -- "Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His [Jesus'] feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan."

image: Betty Wind/Arch Books

Even though it was October, heat rose up from the black top on the parking lot in visible blurry waves, filling my nostrils with that familiar aroma of hot tar. My arm itched where I bumped into the hedges trimming the tiny parking space we finally found among the ocean of other vehicles just outside the Chamblin Bookmine.

But the hassle and heat was ALWAYS worth it. Just picture it - rows and rows of books -  in a labyrinth of shelves so crammed together that one might find themselves a little claustrophobic. But the miles of glorious printed pages and the smell of old leather made up for the tight space.

Yes, I'm a bibliophile. I "blame" my mother [a fellow lover of books].

It all started with story time on a comfy sofa - far, far away from the Bookmine in Jacksonville -  and many years ago. My sister and I would snuggle on either side of Mom as she licked her fingers to turn the pages of a cherished Arch Book. Deep within the colorfully illustrated story - among the lepers of Luke 17 - I learned to remember to SAY thank you.

Walking the dusty roads with Jesus, Dr. Luke witnessed ten lepers approach in the hope that they would be healed of their horrible affliction. When Jesus healed them, the ten ran home to their families bubbling over with joy. But ONE of them, turned back and remembered to tell Jesus thank you.

image: Betty Wind/Arch Books 

That's it. Just ONE. ...AND he was a Samaritan, to boot! The one person out of the group of ten lepers that was mostly likely to avoid a Hebrew - turned back from his journey home to thank the Savior that healed him.

I'm sure the others were grateful. They must have been because they were overjoyed at the thought of finally being reunited with the people they loved. But none of them REMEMBERED to actually say thank you. Caught up in their new found freedom, they all just ... scattered, like busy ants, and hurried on home.

Have you noticed that Halloween decorations, candy, and costumes are barely put away in the Stuff Marts of our country before the Christmas merchandise is put out on the shelves? It's crazy. Sure, there is a tiny little assortment of "Fall" themed things that dot the Halloween assortment of chachkis, but really, Thanksgiving seems to be slightly overlooked - squished in between the Monsters and the Nativity.

I LOVE Thanksgiving! True, I love the change in weather, the colors, the recipes and that wonderfully nostalgic Thanksgiving Day Parade - but mostly I love that we collectively take a moment to remember to actually SAY thank you.

There are so many, many reasons why we should.

Today, Lord - as we begin the thankful month - I thank you so much for being The True Healer.