Happy Thanksgiving to You

Posted on by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

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!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve

Posted on by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

Roving through Facebook posts, I have noticed many families are downsizing or canceling Thanksgiving gatherings. This is another hit from Covid. It is rough. Our normal forty to fifty person extended family celebration has been called off leaving everyone to fend for themselves.

It is our choice on how we allow this to to affect us. First instinct is to organize a pity party. You know those one person, “poor me” cry-fests. Obviously that is a poor choice. An alternative is to consider our loved ones safe at home. I bet their phones work and a Thanksgiving dinner plate would bring a smile on a face or two.

With that thought, what are you cooking? I am a Pampered Chef and have a kitchen filled with tools and recipes to make life in the kitchen easier. Flipping through some recipes, I found a few that made my mouth water. Would you like those for your file?

Our family usually fixes ham and turkey. My mother glazes the ham and everyone raves over it. This is a general recipe that gets changed often.

This salad is on the border of being a dessert. When placed in a glass bowl the presentation is striking especially when garnished with a mint leaf. It is really delicious so don’t expect left overs.

This year has presented a plethora of challenges, but we have survived. Humans need each other so let’s help one another. Kindness is under-rated. We all need to practice.

You know what else we need? Well, besides food. Yes, we need our Creator. We were made by Him and need Him. He is so good to us.

Wherever you celebrate and with whomever, I hope you take time to give thanks for all of your many blessings. Say a pray for those less fortunate and those that have an empty seat at their table.

Happy Thanksgiving and don’t forget to season with love.

Thanksgiving, a Time for Family, Food, and Thanks, or is it?

Posted on by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

Thanksgiving is fast approaching. What comes to mind when you think about Thanksgiving? The obvious is giving thanks. Right? We are blessed in so many ways that most of them often are overlooked. We can not give thanks for blessings we do not realize came our way. Even this year, I am certain we have all had a plethora of things for which to be thankful.

Family comes to my mind. Thanksgiving is usually a big deal in our family. We have an abundance of people, food, laughter, and noise. Everyone brings a dish or two, and sometimes more. Games are played, football watched, shopping lists made, and family catches up on what is going on in everyone’s life. I love it!

This year a few beloved members left us for their eternal home. While we are rejoicing that they are pain free and reunited with loved ones, we are saddened that they will be missed at our table this November. Others will not be able to join us due to the pandemic and quarantine. What historically is a gathering of fifty-ish family members has dwindled to considerably less than half that number. My sister is hosting, and I am going to make a cranberry salad. Do you like cranberries? I do!

I have heard that the senior generation is the glue that holds families together. There is truth to that, but our family has plenty of glue left in its bottle. My cousins are like siblings to me and their children like nieces and nephews. We always get together for holidays. Things are not normal this year which adds a new twist. Our crowd is dwindling. The rise in Covid cases makes even healthy people want to stay home and away from possible germs.

Do not allow Covid to control your family relationships. Like all relationships, family needs to be nourished. Young children need to know extended members. Adults need to continue feeding and strengthening the bond that began years ago. We need to explain why we gather as a family and why we are thankful.

Scripture says in Proverbs 22:6 “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Children will remember going to family gatherings and having fun with everyone. It will become a way of like for them that will get passed on to each generation.

Let’s pray the pandemic is over soon. Hopefully we will learn from what it tried to teach us. It taught me never to take family for granted. I miss seeing my family and hugging. Oh how I miss hugging.

I hope you are able to spend Thanksgiving with at least part of your family this year. Remember all of the many things that we do have even in a year that has not been the kindest to us. I am thankful for my family, friends, and especially for Jesus. What is on your list of things for which you are thankful?