Grateful for .... Post 1 - God.

If I never thank my family for anything else in this world, I want to thank them for introducing me to God. Granted, I realize that I would have probably discovered who God was and what he was about, but because my family actually went to church, or at least had a concept of God, I never went a day without realizing he exists.

Now, you may not believe in God. Perhaps you believe in a higher power, the universe, etc. I get it. I believe the universe/power/whatever is the same, just called by different names. I know the die hard fanatics will cringe when I say that, but that's okay. But back to what I am grateful for - my relationship with what I call my higher power, God.

I am not bible beater in the strictest sense of the word. There are few of the big Ten Commandments that I sort of skip over from time to time. No, it's not right, but the difference between me and maybe someone else is, I actually get it. 

No, I don't go to church each Sunday. I have in the past, and may again soon. I enjoy church, but I will be the first to admit that I like relaxing on a Sunday morning. It's hard to get me to leave the house. But when I do go, I am so happy I did.

No, I will not "witness to you." Though, if you want to openly talk about God and why I choose to believe what I do, I will discuss it with you. I won't debate you, unless you flat out insult me.

But back to being grateful - I am super grateful that I was Christened as a baby. Which in my belief system sort of protects me and shows to the world that I will be raised as a child of God. Then I love the fact that when I was very young, I was allowed to enter the most important part of a mass and that is where you are able to partake of the body and blood of Christ. Then as a teen ager, I spent two years studying Christianity and other religions, and was provided the opportunity to publicly declare whether or not I wanted to continue down this path. 

Though all of those were traditional acts that many Catholics/Christians go thru (and yes, Catholics are Christians.. for you fundamental naysayers. (
Catholicism (from Greek καθολικισμός, catholikismos, "according to the whole") is a broad term for describing specific traditions in the Christian churches in theology and doctrine, liturgy, ethics and spirituality. For many the term usually refers to Christians and churches, western and eastern, in full communion with the Holy See, usually known as the Catholic Church or the Roman Catholic Church.^[1] However, many others use the term to refer to other churches with historical continuity from the first millennium.
In the sense of indicating historical continuity of faith and practice, the term "Catholicism" is at times employed to mark a contrast to Protestantism, which tends to look solely to the Bible as interpreted on the principles of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation as its ultimate standard.^[2] It was thus used by the Oxford Movement.<sup>[3] )

I actually enjoy my personal relationship with God. I pray and have done so fairly often. I don't feel like I need to make a big show of it either. I know people that do that. One time I sat down to eat lunch with a fellow coworker, and she paused and bowed her head to pray. (Which bowing of the head is a Protestant tradition.) I simply put my napkin in my lap and said to myself (without moving my lips,) "Thank you for this food, may you please bless it to the nourishment of my body." Then I picked up my fork and proceeded to eat. My friend, on the other hand, continued to pray, looked up and asked, "You don't bless your food?" I replied, "Of course I do." She just looked at me like I was crazy.

Again... I did not see why I should have to pray and pray and pray at lunch. I pray throughout the day, and the point was to thank God for the food.

Again - I am so grateful for my friendship with God. That I can do these things, and I assume he gets me.

I suppose this is my first Gratitude post - The one where I am so grateful that I believe in God. That I have my traditions. That I have my prayers. That I believe there is a more powerful force out there loving me, protecting me, guiding me. It has helped me make good decisions throughout my life, and it has helped me heal from the bad ones.</sup>