030: Give Thanks

The Experiment Trio jumps into their holiday plans, their expectations and what giving thanks looks like in hard seasons.

This week’s Practice: Give Thanks

+ 030 Give Thanks - Transcript

Chris: I was trying to find something cool.

Emmoe: I was like, "Who's going to talk first? Who's going to break the silence?"

Chris: Happy Thanksgiving.

Tim: Happy Thanksgiving.

Emmoe: Oh, goodness.

Chris: Oh, my.

Tim: So this is our Thanksgiving episode, because we've done so many of these so far.

Emmoe: And we haven't given you a solid holiday special.

Chris: We haven't had a solid holiday special yet. [crosstalk 00:00:19]

Emmoe: They all do them. All the podcasts.

Chris: Emmoe is going to sing. It's going to be...

Emmoe: (singing). Actually, I don't care about Thanksgiving.

Tim: You don't?

Emmoe: Or Christmas. I'm going to be real honest.

Chris: Oh my gosh.

Emmoe: Yes. So, Happy Thanksgiving everyone. [crosstalk 00:00:34] I hope you feel loved and excited for my thoughts for today.

Tim: Welcome to the 10,000 minutes experiment everybody. [crosstalk 00:00:39] Yeah. That's Emmoe Doniz, the Bah, humbug.

Chris: That's right. Every group needs one.

Tim: My name's Tim Timmons. [crosstalk 00:00:46]

Chris: And I'm Chris Cleveland.

Tim: And we are The 10,000 minute experiment.

Emmoe: The 10K trio. [crosstalk 00:00:53]

Tim: Okay. Seriously, you guys stop clapping. This is too much, seriously. Oh my gosh. Yes. I mean this is yes... 10,000 minute experiment you guys, this is all for you. Okay. Sorry. That just was too much fun for me. Okay. So, Hey, I just wanted to start out by saying thank you to Brian H, Brian D, the Brians are killing it. B as in B-E-E-L. Jim C, Amanda B, Amy M, Devon V, Destiny and all the people who are giving every single month. Thank you so much for supporting us. We don't have a Patreon so we're a nonprofit. So you can get all the tax benefits from giving to 10,000 minutes for the podcast and all the things that we're doing to try to encourage each other to join Jesus all week long. So a big old, thank you.

Tim: This is our Thanksgiving episode, which we've never done before but there's some pretty great stuff in here. As we start digging into how do you practice thankfulness in a season when life feels hard and there's nothing to be thankful for. And if you're in a great season right now, this is actually a great episode for you to listen and hear how other people might experience this season. Just so we could actually have some compassion for one another. We are nearing the last episodes of this season, a few more left. And I just want to say thank you for listening and being such a great encouragement to us over these past thirty-some episodes. We are so thankful for you who are actually listening so that's awesome.

Tim: If you have not, would you rate this or like it, or subscribe to it on any platform that you listen to this on? And then would you share this with some friends? If there's a specific one that was encouraging to you, let us know and then you can go to our Facebook or Instagram page. But would you share this with other people? That would be awesome. And if you want to give to 10000minutes.com, tax deductible, you can go to the webpage on the upper right corner. It says donate a one time gift or a monthly gift. I really love you guys. I'm so thankful for you. All right, here we go.

Tim: Okay. So you don't like Thanksgiving. You don't like Christmas?

Emmoe: It's not that I don't like them. I could do without them.

Chris: Yeah.

Tim: Okay. So who... Hold on. So when did that start? Did that start recent or is that like when you were a kid?

Emmoe: I think I realized just a few years ago, "Oh, I would prefer to be alone today than to be with my family."

Chris: Interesting. [crosstalk 00:03:10]

Tim: Is this all since your brother. Is this that kind of [inaudible 00:03:14]. [crosstalk 00:03:14]

Emmoe: I don't think it's a sad thing. I don't think it's a negative thing that I don't Thanksgiving. I think it's more of, "I like to be with you at any time. I don't want to feel I have to be with you today." Because it's so...

Tim: So that's what it is, it's more of the have to...

Emmoe: Where it's... Or say with Christmas. It's, I don't lack something if I'm not with you on Christmas Day. That's how I feel.

Tim: Yeah.

Emmoe: But I do lack something. If I'm not with you on my birthday, I do lack something if I'm not with you... New Year's Eve is my favorite holiday so I do lack something if I...

Tim: Gosh, you've got a real, real right and wrong. Which one is the right one?

Emmoe: I mean, it's more of... It's less about right or wrong. It's more about what actually brings me joy. And I fell like I...

Chris: You feel these are like forced.

Emmoe: Yeah. I feel like there's expectation to be family. And I'm like, "Am I allowed to not need it today?" And so last year was one of the best Christmas' I've had in my life and I was by myself. And I bought myself a mattress for Christmas and I woke up in it and I was like, "This is magical guys." And I... We had that bombing in downtown. And so my internet went out.

Tim: Yep, you're right.

Chris: Oh, that's right oh my gosh.

Emmoe: And I was like I'm going to read all day. And I was just... Not that I was being an opportunist but I was just, "Wow. I'm with myself, I'm making pancakes. I'm..."

Tim: Yeah.

Chris: It was a thing.

Emmoe: Yeah. So I think just.

Chris: Well, what do you hate about the holidays Tim?

Emmoe: I don't hate the holidays.

Tim: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. [crosstalk 00:04:44]

Emmoe: I think that's the problem too. Where it's like, "You have no Christmas spirit." And I'm like, "I just, I'm not waiting for it to be a good season now."

Chris: Okay. [crosstalk 00:04:53].

Chris: You're like "let me do this every day. So it's not a big deal."

Emmoe: Yeah. [crosstalk 00:04:56].

Emmoe: Christmas isn't the thing that like...

Chris: I used to think that when I was leading worship in church... Because all the churches go crazy for Christmas and Easter and they wind up expecting the worship leader to be some sort of magician and make crazy things happen.

Chris: Or they're like, "Oh, we want to do this huge thing and there's three weeks to do it." And you're like, "This takes months." So I would always be like, "Listen, we are going to do what we do." Because one thing we're not going to go all out like on Easter or Christmas. And then the next Sunday people come and be like, "This the same church?"

Tim: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Emmoe: And they dip, it's a lull.

Chris: Yeah. The dip. So I was, let's just be consistent. So I see.

Tim: Let's just consistently suck.

Emmoe: No, that's not what we're saying, man. But yeah.

Chris: This is a great start.

Emmoe: I know, I know I'm a thankful... I have thanks to give.

Tim: Yeah. [crosstalk 00:05:49]

Chris: Okay. [crosstalk 00:05:49]

Emmoe: I don't save it for Thanksgiving.

Chris: I like that. I like Thanksgiving. I do. We used to go to my dad's parents every year and probably in '92 they retired to this little farm in this town that they grew up in Kemp, Oklahoma.

Tim: Obviously, obviously. [crosstalk 00:06:07]

Chris: Look it up. It's about as big as this room. I was there the day the post office closed down and it was one of the saddest days. All these old people on porch just like bummed out.

Emmoe: No [crosstalk 00:06:19].

Chris: Oh, yeah.

Tim: Wait, it closed down for good?

Chris: It closed down for good. And they just got those like little metal P.O. Boxes. You know, like by the old high school?

Emmoe: No. Soulless. [crosstalk 00:06:28]

Tim: Yeah.

Chris: My grandpa, he graduated there in '53, I think. He was third in his class of three, he always made that joke. But we would go down there and like on the farm and do all the stuff and always got the turkey leg. And my grandma... I always thought it was a delicacy so I need it now every time. I need the cranberry sauce out of the can like with the wrinkles in it, you know what I mean?

Emmoe: Oh, Wow.

Chris: First time I saw real cranberry sauce, [inaudible 00:06:56] what is this trash? I'm not eating this stuff.

Tim: Yeah, yeah, yeah. "Give me a can." [crosstalk 00:07:00]

Chris: So when I met McKenzie, we went to Thanksgiving at her grandma's house and I told her about that and so she went to the store, which she did not want to do. This is, this is how much she loved me. She went to the store and got me canned cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving.

Emmoe: True Love. [crosstalk 00:07:15]

Chris: So I felt at home. Yeah, it was great. So I love it. I love Thanksgiving.

Tim: Gosh. All I think of with Thanksgiving is herring.

Chris: Oh.

Tim: We had herring at my aunt uncle's house.

Chris: That feels a rich people thing.

Emmoe: Yeah. That's bougie.

Tim: Well it wasn't bougie. It just was like, "What is it?"

Chris: Is that a bird? Is it a fish? What is it?

Tim: I think it's a fish.

Emmoe: It was trending that year.

Tim: Yeah, red herring. No. Is it heron? Crap. I don't even know what it is. It's something that I.. It's kind of a joke and then we always have sticky buns.

Chris: Oh, okay.

Tim: That was the lik thing as a kid. It was like, "Oh yeah. That's... Duh, it's Thanksgiving."

Emmoe: Yeah.

Chris: Yeah.

Tim: Yeah, I'm not a fan of the Thanksgiving meal. You know, people love the actual meal. It's so sad.

Chris: What was the dish then? What was the one that you liked?

Tim: I don't.

Chris: None of them?

Tim: Nope. I mean, I like mashed potatoes but..

Emmoe: Because you're passionate about food.

Tim: I'm passionate about food and it's just like that meat and potato meal that's like..

Emmoe: Yeah. [crosstalk 00:08:08]

Chris: So did you switch it up in your family? [inaudible 00:08:09]

Tim: So I try to. Like I've made mole and a bunch of different things to try to change it up. But my family's really excited about it. We got one of those Traeger Grills so we're going to be doing something. [crosstalk 00:08:22]

Emmoe: Oh nice. Yeah, something different. [crosstalk 00:08:22].

Chris: Uh, huh. Nothing stuck. [crosstalk 00:08:22].

Chris: Yeah, you did. [crosstalk 00:08:22]

Chris: Last Thanksgiving. I set my Traeger on fire.

Tim: You did?

Chris: Yeah. I'll show you a video.

Emmoe: Out of rebellion or by accident like, what were you protesting.

Chris: No. [crosstalk 00:08:30]

Chris: So we were.. It was like you know, we travel so much and I had had COVID actually right before. And so I got out and [inaudible 00:08:38] we didn't do the Turkey because we're not much Turkey fan. So we a ham.

Chris: Yeah. So I put it on the Traeger and it wasn't heating up as well as it should. So I put it back down to smoke for some reason. I don't know. I'm just thinking in my head, maybe we need to light this up a little further and then turned it all the way up. A few minutes later I go outside. I'm like, "Man, that's a dark smoke coming out of the Traeg." And so I walk outside and I lift the lid and this fire just shoots up like 15' out of the thing. And so I close it really quick and the first thing I think, I got to get a video of this. Kenzie is like, "Are you serious?" So I get my phone, I throw it up, take a video, couple pictures and I'm like, "Well I need to get the ham out." And so I go and get the gloves and stuff and fight the blaze, get the ham out.

Tim: Gosh, you're so tough. [crosstalk 00:09:31]

Chris: Which I will say, tasted great.

Tim: Did it? Ooh, char?

Chris: That char was awesome.

Emmoe: It was worth it. [crosstalk 00:09:38].

Chris: But then I just closed the grill, turned it off, let it burn out and I didn't touch it for eight months. So...

Emmoe: Just in case.

Chris: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I eventually went back and cleaned it. I think this summer sometime. So be careful on your Traegers because...

Tim: I know, now I'm super nervous. Well, we've got a bunch of really cool people coming for ours this year.

Emmoe: Oh cool.

Tim: It's... I actually love having the bag of bonds.

Chris: Oh, thanks for the invite. [crosstalk 00:09:59].

Tim: Well, they're really cool people. They're really cool.

Chris: Oh, Okay. Thanks. [inaudible 00:10:03]

Tim: Yeah. Every year there's just like a different crew of people that it's like, oh, they need a home. So this year there's a neat crew.

Chris: So the house is going to be full.

Tim: Totally.

Emmoe: So is hosting a thing you enjoy doing

Tim: Cooking is what I love doing. Yeah, when you cook for somebody, one of my heroes Glen really taught us this... cooking for people is like an actual gift. It's actual blessing to their heart. It's more than just feeding them food. It's... There's like a deeper love that happens when you cook. When you really cook for somebody.

Chris: When people come to my house, I just order food.

Tim: Right.

Chris: Here's some popcorn.

Tim: Yeah. And that's not everybody's thing. But for me, hospitality to me... I love cooking for people. And I'll watch you eat it even though I won't show you that I'm watching eat it. Like, "Oh, no problem, this old thing?" When I made mole that year, it was five hours just to make the mole sauce.

Emmoe: Oh right, Right. [crosstalk 00:11:01]

Tim: Which I won't do again. But...

Chris: Is there a place you can buy that?

Tim: Oh totally. You can buy it for eight cents whatever.

Emmoe: Yes. It's true.

Tim: It's so true. And I made it. I mean it was like chocolate and the whole deal. But there's something special to me about that, about hosting. And we're talking so much right now just with our community about who belongs at our table. And so this year it's a different crew of really different humans, but all belong at my table. Whether they're from whatever background, with whatever thoughts on all the things that have happened. They belong at my table. You know, it's really this bigger picture of communion. That communion is all of us coming together on equal footing at this table with Jesus. And it's like oh, and that then gets to happen in my house. So that's something I'm excited about with these Thanksgiving and with Christmas. It becomes something that's a really beautiful practice.

Emmoe: That's awesome.

Tim: Yeah. Yeah. And my wife is so awesome about it and with it and... Okay. So as far as Thanksgiving. You know, it's so cliche it's like Valentine's day is always... I feel the same with Valentine's day.

Emmoe: I love Valentine's day.

Tim: I love [inaudible 00:12:19].

Chris: You do? [crosstalk 00:12:19]

Emmoe: Man. Yes. We're so opposite.

Tim: It's great. It's just... It's like well, this should be something that's happening all year round. Just like Thanksgiving. That is something that we should be practicing. We get to practice. We're invited to practice for our hearts all year round. I guess, how do you guys practice thankfulness? Or is there a practice? Or is it like, "No, I forget all the time."

Chris: A lot of this, the things that we talk about on this podcast, for me, I'm like, am I just being thankful or am I meeting God? And some things. So sometimes I feel I do get them confused. I'm like, what is a difference between just acknowledging and being grateful for something and joining God in a moment or awakening to these things. And so I think kind of I come to it as, I don't know, God actually wants us to... That's what he wants us to do. And so I try to practice those moments because I do think there's something going on there. That's like God's like, "Yeah, this is what I want for you. Yeah, this is it." So I find myself... I have all these times and they're like dumb normal times stuff.

Tim: And you've mentioned times like with your kids and you're just sitting there going, "Oh, I want... I need to embrace this."

Chris: When I die. This is the thing I'm going to think about.

Tim: Yeah.

Chris: You know, I have those moments all the time, which is weird, I think. But I feel on my deathbed, I'm going to be thinking about my kid jumping on my back and doing whatever. And I thought it was annoying earlier but that's actually kind of amazing. So yeah. I don't know.

Tim: Are there moments that help you get into that space? Like sober you up a little bit to, oh, this important.

Chris: I'm trying to, especially this year practice celebrating a little bit. So because I'm a musician when Kenzie and I got engaged it was... We got engaged the end of July one year and I looked at the schedule and said, "Well, we can get married next year, like a year and change or we can do it the week of Thanksgiving." So we got married in four months on November 19th. So we're about to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary in just a couple of days. We're recording this a little before Thanksgiving. And so tomorrow we're going on this trip for our 10 year wedding anniversary. And I've been pumped about it for six months.

Tim: Where did you decide to go?

Chris: Going to Seattle of all places

Tim: That's right, you were talking about that. [crosstalk 00:14:31]

Emmoe: I love Seattle. [crosstalk 00:14:31]

Chris: You do?

Emmoe: I love Seattle.

Chris: We're pumped. We're just like, Hey, where have we not been that's cool and isn't a beach or some other place. And so Seattle made the list.

Emmoe: It's cool. [crosstalk 00:14:42]

Emmoe: But you're by the water man.

Chris: We're right on the water.

Emmoe: Oh man.

Tim: Awesome.

Chris: We're excited. We're driving to Oklahoma, dropping the kids off, flying to Seattle, coming back for Thanksgiving and it's going to be a whole thing.

Emmoe: That's cool.

Chris: So I think I've been prepping myself for that and being so thankful for that and that I think this Thanksgiving is going to be a really great one. I'm excited about it to be able to do that with her. Celebrate what we've done. Be grateful for the years that we've had and then be able to come home, do that with the whole family. I think it's going to be special.

Tim: How do you practice gratefulness when things suck? I mean I think of Psalm 100, you know, as a worship leader, I've used a good gajillion times. You know "Enter his courts with Thanksgiving." That is a... like a key to the heart of God is thankfulness. I think. Or else that's just what I've...

Emmoe: Yeah.

Tim: Heard my whole life. How do you practice that in the midst of things?

Emmoe: But I think Thanksgiving or giving thanks. It depends on how you feel you're expected to give thanks. For some people it feels to give thanks is to... It sometimes almost feels like it pulls you out of what is reality. And so there are people who don't want to be with their families Thanksgiving.

Tim: Right, right.

Emmoe: Right? Or they don't want to be in the scenarios that they are. They don't feel safe. And this pressure of like, if you gave thanks, it wouldn't be so bad. And that's like... The pressure of that. I think that just unpacks, what do we think Thanksgiving actually does? Is it supposed to put me in my place and humble me? Or is it actually me just grounding myself to reality? I'm thankful that I woke up today. I'm thankful that this chicken sandwich slapped. I'm thankful that I got my tire fixed. And those aren't just things to be like, I have to think three things every day to practice it. But it's more of like, those are just going to ground me right now because the there's not a lot that I'm thankful for.

Tim: Yeah.

Chris: Yeah. That's why I love this podcast though. Because I feel from podcast one, when we started it this year. This breath in Jesus, breathe out you have my attention is a practice of thankfulness.

Emmoe: Yes.

Chris: No matter where you are, no matter what you're in no matter what's going on. Just the ability to breathe is enough.

Tim: Yeah.

Chris: I think that's been one of my favorite parts of doing this, of talking to so many people about this. I've had a lot of conversations lately and people ask, "What are the themes? That you're hearing from people in this." And so many people it's just that. It's like awakening to the present moment.

Emmoe: Yes. Yeah.

Chris: Almost everybody that we've talked to has emphasized that in their lives. As they grow and mature in life and in faith and all of the things it's like, I'm just grateful to be here and to be awake. And then it goes in different directions. But that's... I think I've heard everybody say something that.

Tim: Yep. Yeah. Because at the bottom of it all... Chris, you were saying you're thankful for what God's provided, he is provided in ways. And I always go... And you've said this before, you're like, "If it doesn't work for everybody, it doesn't work at all."

Chris: Yeah. That's right. I have.

Tim: Yeah. I think about people that are in a place right now that are like, "No, I've not been provided for. I just lost my house. Just lost my cars." I was thinking about when I was a kid and my folks had divorced and, we were just talking about it the other night, we were losing our house. It was, was being foreclosed. We had to hide our cars all over the neighborhood. Because they kept trying to find the cars and they come and take the car.

Chris: Hide your kids, hide your wife. [crosstalk 00:18:37]

Tim: And we got a new piece of crap car and they'd come and take that one.

Emmoe: Scary. [crosstalk 00:18:43]

Tim: And it was just like all the things were being taken. What does thankfulness look like there? How does that work? You know, you think of kids... and then you go to kids, all of the world, that have zero food. And we've all traveled to those places and seen those kids that are in this mud. That's their whole day picking out these shells from the mud to go sell. I mean, so how does thankfulness work there? That's always a question for me because in my American way I'm like, "Yeah, he's provided." And I do have enough, but how does it work even in those places to the very basic thing of almost Jesus, you have my attention. You are here. I'm with you today. You woke me up again.

Emmoe: Yeah. I think it has to do with what we think thankfulness is. Am I thanking God to humble me because I feel I should be someone who's always humbled in front of God's presence. Is it to... It goes back to what do I I count as blessings?

Tim: Right.

Emmoe: So it's like, am I thanking you because I should be thankful that I have more than I need, which is like our American perspective? Or am I paused by the wonder that whoa, you haven't left and I'm thankful for that and so I see that through this moment at a table on Thanksgiving. Or I see that by creating a boundary in not going to see my family on Thanksgiving. Whatever that might be. But it's not there's a good thing I'm thanking for it's that God's goodness is present even though it's not something to thank for. So-

Tim: That's so upside down.

Emmoe: Yeah. So it's like there's seasons where you're like no, there is... That's a awful thing to go through and then to feel pressure to be like, but I still have to be like, thank you God, my kids are still alive... Thank you. That just diminishes the pain you're going through and the reality that you are not being provided for. You are losing things. And so thanking God is no longer to humble me and put me in my place and trust. It's more of like oh, I'm thanking something so much more than what I think I should be thanking for. Which is not being abandoned and having people I can run to at this moment. And-

Tim: But what if you don't? What if you don't have people to run to?

Emmoe: There's a difference. I think there's things that we might not have but I thank God we will always have. I thank God always reaches out. And so even if it's not people, his presence is always showing up. So if anything, the blessing that we could be thankful for always is that God's reaching towards us. And so Thanksgiving helps us acknowledge and look for it.

Tim: Yeah. Just presence.

Emmoe: Yeah. So it could be that maybe you don't have people.

Tim: Yeah.

Emmoe: But the wind alone woke you up today. Because you were like, "Whoa, I felt something today and that's God's presence." But I don't think there's ever a point where there... And that's just my experience. I lost my brother and I could have easily felt there's nothing to thank for. But really I think it just starts to change what you're really thanking. I'm not thankful that I have three jobs even though it's provision. But I am thankful that I didn't feel alone today. Or whatever it is. So...

Tim: It's... I love that. It seems like it's almost a both and.

Emmoe: Totally. [crosstalk 00:22:21]

Tim: But it's how you... So the thanking God for things, there is still is a posture of the heart that's really beautiful to go yeah, I lost this, this, this, and I'm just going to stop and just also, the posture of my heart is going to walk in gratitude that I do have this. Whether God gave me this or not. That's something that I'm still wrestling with is what did God give and what did he not give? We know that scriptures talk about every good gift is from God. But so I don't know what he has given what he has not given. But there's something that really changes in my heart when there's gratitude there. Just of like, "Okay, gosh, I'm thankful for this guitar." I'm just thankful that I have this today whoever gave it to me. Whether I bought it because of the money that I have or God provided this. And so I have an awful lot of questions around thankfulness with God. But there is something that changes my heart because to be thankful is actually a humble thing.

Emmoe: It is. [crosstalk 00:23:21].

Tim: So if I'm thankful to a server or to you guys for just being my friends, there's a humility in that in me going, "I need you." And-

Emmoe: Totally.

Tim: So it feels like a both and. But then to just leave it in that space, which I think most of us have done is left it in that space. And not what you're talking about is really true.

Emmoe: Thankfulness is out of experiencing a moment with Jesus. It's a practice to not humble myself because as a Christian, I should be a humble person which I think we tend to do.

Tim: Totally. Totally.

Emmoe: So it's like, as a Christian, I need to be thankful. So I'm going to be... I'm going to start doing that. But then there's just a point, a deeper layer that's like, oh, I'm trying to be so aware that it's... I can't help but acknowledge God's always, always is. And that's my Thanksgiving and it looks thanking this lunch with this friend. And thanking for an extra hour of sleep. And now those things don't feel small and forced. They're just like, "Oh, I see them everywhere now."

Tim: Yeah. It's the blessing idea that, I mean, that's been so radical for all of us this year of going, if blessing is wholeness, is what already exists and the continuing awakening that what already exists. That God is at work in making us whole. He's blessing us. Just that alone is worth being thankful for.

Emmoe: Yeah.

Tim: So people, what are three things you're going to be thankful for [inaudible 00:24:44]? It a worthy conversation around something to rethink thankfulness.

Chris: I'm thankful and I want to celebrate McKenzie and I, because we've walked through it. We've seen the darkness of that.

Tim: Yeah. You know where the darkness is with that. Yeah. [crosstalk 00:25:03]

Chris: And now we're like, "But we're here." And so there's a deeper gratitude there. So I think it's okay to hold it all at once.

Tim: Yeah, and I... Emmoe I think your invitation and encouragement to not let thankfulness hide or cover up things that need to be thought or felt or, "Well, you know, my brother died, but I'm thankful for this." Well, that's probably true too. And that's a beautiful thing to be able to say that you're thankful for this, but let's not use it as a crutch to then just do the religious thing to cover up what we need to actually embrace and lean into.

Emmoe: Right. Yeah.

Tim: That's a good word.

Emmoe: Yeah. I think it's just... I know grief and I know how desperate we can become to get to stage of acceptance. But there's all these things that need to be experienced in denial and bargaining and speaking with your mom to know that you're allowed to be in all those stages. And you're not rushed to the acceptance part. Man, wherever you are and if it's not a good holiday and it's not a good time and last year hurt, you know? You're not pressured to be thankful for the things that you think everyone else is thankful for.

Chris: We need to bring your mom back on for a holiday episode.

Emmoe: Yes.

Chris: For all the people who struggled through holidays. I think it'd be really powerful.

Tim: That's so true.

Emmoe: Yes. Yes.

Chris: It would be cool.

Tim: Dang it.

Emmoe: Yes.

Tim: Do we need to add one more?

Emmoe: Maybe?

Tim: All right. People. Well, we are... I'm thankful for both you two humans.

Emmoe: I thought so.

Chris: This has been a good year.

Emmoe: It was. This was a surprise.

Chris: Right? [crosstalk 00:26:49] It was a surprise for 2020, but a really good one.

Emmoe: A very good one.

Chris:

2021. I said, "2020."

Tim: You did you said, "2020." [crosstalk 00:26:57].

Emmoe: But it all feels the same. It's all the same. [crosstalk 00:26:59].

Tim: It's all the same. It's all the same. [crosstalk 00:27:01].

Chris: Wow, there's something I'm not thankful for.

Emmoe: Crying. And you're allowed to say that,

Tim: But at least... No I'm just kidding.

Emmoe: I know. I know, but...

Tim: Well, people just let Jesus... Say, "Jesus, you have my attention." Even during your awesome times. Chris, if your time is awesome with your wife or if you guys get in fights at the... Which also happens, you know what I mean? Like...

Emmoe: Yeah, yeah.

Tim: In these things I'm so looking forward to, or not looking forward.

Chris: Yeah, right. It's going to be a bummer trip.

Tim: If there's a way just for us to even just stop and just say, "Jesus, you have my attention. You are at work and making me whole this year." And even just celebrating that.

Emmoe: Thankful for that.

Tim: In the good times and the bad times this year.

Emmoe: Exactly.

Tim: So thanks you guys. Thank you for listening and walking with us. It has been really great to have all you humans walking with us. Not literally, but it's almost, that's like with hope of this was that it would feel you're on a walk with us.

Chris: It's Basically. [crosstalk 00:28:00]

Tim: So walk on.

Emmoe: Oh, nice.

Tim: Okay. So that's a wrap for this week and next week we've got Jordan St. Cyr and then a special guest on our last week. So if you guys want to get the free text messages, please text 10K. 1-0-K. To 5-5-6-7-8. Once again, 10K. 1-0-K to 5-5-6-7-8. You can always find us on Facebook and on the Instagram and just come say, "Hi." Or go to 10000minutes.com and figure it out. Okay. Bye. You guys. Thank you.