The last few years have been filled with triumphs and challenges–-many ups and several downs! Yet, the one thing that has remained constant throughout my life journey is God. The LORD is a tremendous source of security and stability in a world of uncertainty. Regardless of what I have faced in recent years, I am so grateful to God for his love, grace, goodness, and mercy. Although God’s blessings are far too numerous to count, I would like to offer the following list of several things for which I am thankful today.

1. I am thankful for life and for the sustaining grace that God extends to me on a daily basis. I am also thankful for the salvation that the Lord Jesus Christ makes possible and available and for the guidance and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

2. I am thankful for my wife, Dr. Malaika E. Graves. Her love is a blessing and a gift. I am a better man because of her presence in my life.  She is the best thing that has happened to me since I gave my life to the Lord Jesus Christ.  I pray that 2021 will be an awesome year for the two of us.

3. I am thankful to my parents for bringing me into this world and for teaching me Godly principles by which to live. My mom and dad are now with the Lord, but I will always cherish the good things that they imparted into my life.

4. I am thankful for the love and support of family members and friends. I am also thankful for the many teachers, mentors, advisers, and others who have provided me with wise direction and counsel at crucial moments in my life.

5. I am thankful for my church home and for the spiritual and professional growth that I have experienced under the leadership of my pastor. I am also thankful for the many opportunities for service that have been given to me.

6. I am thankful for the rights and freedoms that I presently enjoy in this country. I am also thankful for the peace and prosperity, which often are taken for granted.

7. I am thankful for the various educational opportunities that have been afforded me through the years. I am also thankful for each opportunity that I have to impart wisdom and knowledge to succeeding generations.

8. I am thankful for the trials and tribulations that have built and shaped my character and helped me to develop maturity.

For these things and for many other reasons, I am truly thankful!

In Christ,
Wilfred Graves Jr.

Blessings,
Wilfred Graves Jr.
www.wilfredgraves.org