Thanksgiving Edition: Storyteller, Podcast Updates, Save-the-Date for the Little Snowman and the Star Christmas Storytime

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Thanksgiving is upon us, and I am inspired by the thought that I want to be the one.  I want to get to where gratitude is not an afterthought but a first thought.  It’s not something we should tack on, but rather something we should take on. The conviction that “I want to be the one” is in reference to the story of Jesus walking on a journey from Galilee to Jerusalem and healing ten lepers he came across on the way. 

Only one of the lepers turned back to thank Jesus for the healing.  The story in the Gospel of Luke* is not one of the more exciting stories in the Bible, and I haven’t spent much time thinking about it.  This year is different though, as we step into the Thanksgiving season, focusing more intentionally on gratitude, this story has captured my full attention. That journey that Jesus was on was a sacred one, and one to learn and grow from.   

As I thought about what gratitude should look like in my experience, I began to dissect this story in my thinking. It appears that on that 80, or-so-mile walk Jesus’ mission was to fulfill prophecy and mentally face his destiny.  A trek like that might take several days.  As the story goes, as he was walking along the coastal road, he came upon ten lepers.  Lepers were not allowed inside city limits.  They were outcasts.  In addition to their physical condition, they were likely awash with social pain.  People with leprosy were considered pariahs.  They were exiled. 

When these men saw Jesus, they kept their distance and shouted out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Jesus stopped and looked at the men with compassion.  He called out to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests,” indicating that the priests would verify that they were healed of their leprosy. At that time, the Jewish tradition required that a priest had to verify the healing of leprosy before a person could enter back into society.  Even though they were not yet healed, when Jesus gave them this simple instruction, their faith caused them to obey and set out on their journey to present themselves to the priests.  

Ten lepers were healed by Jesus that day, but only one turned back to thank him. I am wondering why the others, having had that same remarkable healing, neglected to turn back to Jesus and thank him. 

• Did they get lost in the excitement of the moment? 

• Were they aware of how they came to be healed?  

• Were they simply so caught up in their joy that they forgot about gratitude? 

• Later, after this experience, did they remember to express gratitude for their healing?

• Even more importantly, why did the one turn back? 

My life is brimming with blessings, and yet I don’t always remember to stop and thank God for all the good I experience.  Thanking God all the time, every day, should be our custom. 

How can we be more like the grateful leper and make “being grateful in advance” a frame of mind, our first nature instead of second nature? This gracious man recognized the blessing and thanked Jesus before his healing was evidenced.  I want to be like him, I want to be the one!

Thank you for reading and for joining me on this journey. I am so grateful for your support and look forward to sharing more stories with you.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Merry

P.S. I hope to see you for the annual "Little Snowman and the Star" Christmas Storytime.

*Luke 17: 11-19

Make more memories! Join me and my family LIVE for the online reading of "The Little Snowman and the Star."

"The Little Snowman and the Star" is a story of the magic of Christmas. The birth of the Christ child brought with it many wonders and this story brings a sense of fun and adventure to this miraculous event. Inspired by a pen and ink drawing of a snowman and a star, this story was born out of my love of Christmas and my desire to capture the magic of winter for young children.

It's a fun story and a festive time! So, gather your family, warm the cocoa, and join me for my annual Storytime!

Would you like to read along? Click here to purchase your copy of "The Little Snowman and the Star."

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Thank you to everyone who listened to episode 1 of the Storyteller LIVE podcast, "How Do You Talk to God?" now streaming on Spotify. In this episode, special guest, The Reverend Will Hood and I use the April Storyteller, "How do you talk to God" as a framework for a discussion about how we talk to God and how we've relied on Him during some of life's greatest challenges. Thank you for joining me, Fr. Will! It was an honor to have you as my first special guest.

Up next, Storyteller LIVE featuring Garrett Mason! Garrett is the Chief Training Officer with CorpsAfrica, an organization that places college-educated African youth in rural communities to help them identify and solve their most pressing local challenges. In this episode, we'll use the January Storyteller “Education Must Change: What should education look like?” to guide our discussion.  

Storyteller LIVE is more than a podcast, it's a community of friends connecting over faith, family, life, and learning. It's to bring my monthly Storyteller digital series to life. Each episode includes a discussion about a story featured in Storyteller and a special guest with unique life experiences that make them particularly qualified to discuss the topic.  

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