What we can be thankful for

As they were in the temple with Simeon, Mary and Joseph met another one who had waited for a life time for this moment.
Luke 2:36-38
[Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman.
She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers.
At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.]
Anna becomes one more important character in this cast of characters.
She was married at a young age we can assume, her husband passes away after seven years. (which by the way is a number that is often used as biblical)
Then it says she was a widow for eighty-four years. So like Simeon she was very old, ninety two plus at least fourteen years. (my guess)
She had patiently waited in the temple for the messiah to come.
Every week, she waited and prayed. Can you even imagine the patience and trust it took for her to believe it would happen, someday?
Every time a young couple would come in with their precious little baby, she wondered and waited and asked herself, is he the one?
When she saw Simeon she knew by the words that he had said, and perhaps by his countenance shown, that THIS was the one.
How exciting for her.
Finally the waiting was over.
Did that mean she could finally leave the temple? we are not told the ending of her story.
We can only begin to believe that God orchestrated each character and each time frame like a scene in a play.
To finish what was started. The theme was “A baby would be born and HE would be the Messiah”.
Luke 2:19
Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself.
We can begin to be thankful, deep within our hearts just like Mary did, and know that God went to great lengths, to bring us salvation.