Yes, it is Thanksgiving Day, 2011, and I am writing about all of the many things about which I have to be thankful. However, I am writing this is not because it is Thanksgiving Day, but because as I have been studying mussar. Hashem has been dealing with me in the area of gratitude, and today I want to make sure I put into writing a list of things for which I am thankful as a record of Hashem’s blessing and faithfulness in my life.
First, and foremost, I am thankful that Hashem loves me infinitely and that he sent Yeshua in order to bring His message of love into my life. Thank you, Abba.
Second, I am thankful for my beloved wife, soul-mate, best friend and lover. I couldn’t have created a better ezer k’negdo than the one Hashem has provided for me. I am still madly in love with this woman after 17 years of marriage and almost 21 years of friendship. She is my blessing, my anchor, my confidant, my solstice. Thank you, Hashem, for giving her to me.
Next, I am thankful for my four wonderful children, Kaleb, Kai, Boaz and Einya. I am truly blessed with and by these packages of joy in my life. They each come with their unique personality, sense of humor, gifts and mission in life. They are full of zeal for life, and create a special sense of Hashem’s presence in this world. Their joy and innocence bring a bit of tikkun to this life. I pray that I do not taint them with my cynicism and that I am worthy to set them on the path to fulfill their calling in this life. I am also gratefully thankful that Hashem has allowed us to conceive again. We are looking forward to meeting another Huckey child toward the end of March or beginning of April.
I am thankful for the friends with which Hashem has surrounded me. I am very blessed to have a group of close friends who love Him sincerely, and are a constant source of encouragement and inspiration in my life. I can’t express how blessed I have been over these last few years because of them. They have loved and supported me and my family in some of our deepest times of need.
I am thankful for being able to work from home and be with my family nearly 24/7 all year round. Sometimes that can be a frustration point for a family, but not ours. It has only drawn us closer together. I see the fruits of this when I go to a meeting for an hour or two and return home to see my children running from the house to greet me with warm smiles and hugs. I don’t think very many fathers who are away from their homes for 8 to 10 hours a day get this kind of treatment.
I am thankful that I live in a time and an environment in which I have opportunities to serve Hashem in a capacity of which I can take advantage. Although I may not be taking full advantage of these opportunities, the recognition of this is the first step in pushing me towards them. Thank you, Hashem, for your sovereignty.
The last may sound arrogant, but I it’s actually an act of humility, which I have been learning about. I am thankful for the abilities Hashem has placed within me. I often get frustrated that I don’t have one particular thing that I have “mastered” (yes – that’s me – Jack of All Trades, Master of None). However, I am discovering that because of my wide range of abilities, I am able to accomplish many things by making use of these gifts which compliment one another in order to bring about the end result. Thank you, Hashem, for making me uniquely me.