Ashley and I went up to Kentucky to see her side of the family for an early Thanksgiving. It was great. Her Dad lives in Pulaski County, and the mountains there are just beautiful. We spent our time riding the kids through those mountains on four wheelers and visiting with family we see only a few times a year.
We came home the day before Thanksgiving. Traffic was tough. What is normally a four-hour trip took us six. On top of the traffic, I found a brad nail sticking out of the sidewall of the vans rear driver-side tire. By the time we noticed it, we were almost driving on the rim.
We just happened to be getting gas at a Walmart when we found it, so I pulled around to the Tire Lube Express. When I asked the mechanic if he had time to put on a tire for us, he replied that he wasn’t sure he could complete the jobs he already had and leave on time. In other words, they didn’t have time to put a new tire on for us. So, I did what any mechanic will tell you not to do. I pulled the nail out and put a tire plug into the sidewall.
That, and some prayer, got us home safely. Can you say thankful?
On the way, Ashley and I talked about something we’ve noticed this year; Thanksgiving seems to be getting glanced over. We drew that conclusion from the Christmas commercials that started the day after Halloween, coupled with the short time it took for decorations to go up.
For us, Thanksgiving is an important holiday that should not go by the wayside. Sure, we love to eat, but it’s more about taking time to inventory all the things we are grateful for — not that you shouldn’t do that daily. Truthfully, if you write down 10 things you’re grateful for each morning you’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll become satisfied with the blessing you already have in your life. And the more grateful you are for what you have, the more Yahweh tends to bless you.
I can’t explain it; it’s just one of those things that happens. It’s almost like the Parable of the Ten Talents found in the book of Matthew chapter 25. The two servants who were glad to work with what they’d been blessed with received more. They were told, “Well done good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over much.” However, the one who took what little he had for granted got reprimanded.
The parable ends by saying “For to everyone who possesses, more shall be given, and he shall have overflowingly; but from him who does not possess, even what he possesses shall be taken away.”
Ashley and I want to make sure we are grateful for all the things we’ve been blessed with. So at Thanksgiving, we have a tradition of talking in depth about those things.
As we talked, real estate was at the center. For us, investing in real estate is not about acquiring things like new cars, cool toys like the four wheelers mentioned above, or regular trips to the Caribbean. Rather, our friends, our family and our freedom have all been forged through investing in real estate. And we are truly blessed in each of those areas. Ashley and I both feel that we “have overflowingly.”
During this season, take some time to make a list of the things and people you are grateful for, and make sure to give thanks to the One who made them possible. In doing so, it will put you in a positive mindset that will jump-start your end-of-year reflections and get you ready to plan for a prosperous new year.
Joe and Ashley English buy houses and mobile homes in Northwest Georgia. For more information or to ask a question, go to www.cashflowwithjoe.com or call Joe at 678-986-6813.