Thanksgiving is a great holiday. Don’t you agree? It is a time to reflect on what we have and to be grateful for it. Scrumptious dishes are made to serve along side a turkey or ham, maybe both. Friends and family gather around the table for food, fellowship, and fun.
In our family on my sweet mother’s side, we all flock to my sister’s home. The lunch headcount is between forty and fifty. Mother is the only surviving sibling of four. There are eleven cousins with children of their own. Many have grandchildren. Hugs abound as well as remembrances of those gone to Glory. Tales of the past are told.
Lunch is a bounty of dishes brought in by each family. It is a better buffet than may be found at any restaurant. Turkey, dressing, glazed ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli, mac & cheese, asparagus, corn, green beans, peas, and rolls. The salads are just as lengthy, and the desserts, oh my!
The desserts are scandalous, but absolutely yummy. Before we eat, we form a large circle and say a prayer of thanks for not just the food, but our family and Jesus. It is then I miss my husband the most as I realize his hand is no longer here to hold.
Football games blast on the television, board games or cards are enthusiastically played at tables, and endless trips are made to the kitchen for coffee, tea, lemonade, or percolator punch. The dessert table gets a lot of attention. Sampler plates are made and look enticing. A few people try to find a quiet place to nap. A full belly makes one tired after all.
This year I am pondering my many blessings. I have so blessed to have my sweet mother with me on this side of Heaven. She is my best friend, confidant, adviser, and biggest treasure besides being my mother. My children are jewels and have taken such fabulous care of me as I navigate life without their father. Their children, my grands, are my pride and joy. I am fortunate to have a nephew that will drop everything when I need him. He is so sweet and caring. His two sisters are, also, but are married with demanding jobs.
God has blessed me with a tribe of cousins who are second brothers and sisters to me. Their children like nieces and nephews. My friends and Bible study group are precious and do more for me than they realize. I glean knowledge and information from them. Comfort comes to me from my four legged furbabies. When the house is silent and dark, Coco and Jesse are still here with their unconditional love. To say I am thankful for that is an understatement. Mostly, I am thankful for my salvation. It is thrilling to know that one day, our Thanksgiving will be celebrated in Heaven with our loved ones long gone. Oh what a glorious family reunion!
I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends. Think about the many things for which you have to be thankful. Family, friends, food, home, trees, birds, flowers, heat, air conditioning, church, and Jesus. Besides so many other things, I am thankful for you, my readers. Happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy these family recipes!
Farmer Max and Miz Patti have a big red barn on their Maple Shade Farm, but one thing is missing—they need a barn quilt. But what pattern should they hang on the side of their barn? The pineapple quilt, or the corn and beans quilt, or what about a quilt with animals on it? None of them are quite right though. Since it’s Christmas, they wonder what barn quilt would have been just right for the stable where Jesus was born. Work along with their neighbor boy, Dennis, as he helps Farmer Max and Miz Patti decide on and make the perfect barn quilt.
Patti Michels has lived in the same rural midwestern county her entire life, thirty-nine of those with her husband. She loves designing her family’s Christmas card and working with senior citizens. At the end of a long day, she enjoys returning to the farm and looking out her kitchen window at her own barn quilt.
Through her guidance I was lead to the Lord at an early age and taught to follow and obey Him. I love that we still talk about Him – what He does for our family, how He answers our prayers, what we need to take before Him, and how we should serve Him by serving others. A big smile overtakes my face as I remember her holding my hand for bedtime prayers. We would go through the family asking our Heavenly Father to bless each one as we named them.
Are you seeing the pattern here? Being thankful is finding your silver lining in the dark cloud. It is knowing that things could have gone much worse but didn’t.
Sure there are times I still miss my Daddy. All girls need their daddies. I also miss both of my grandfathers, too. My paternal grandfather, Granddaddy, and I were particularly close. I was the first born on that side, and yes, spoiled rotten. Today isn’t about tears and missing them. It is about the good memories of the time we had together. The promise of seeing them again in Heaven. It is a time to be thankful.
Abba's Prayer Warrior Princess 