Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

The holiday, now sandwiched in between the mega holiday of Halloween and the totally secularized holiday of Christmas.

I guess I am just being dour.  And old fashioned.  And a bit nostalgic.

But I love Thanksgiving, it's meaning for our country and it's broader significance in our Christian faith.  And it seems that we, as a country, rush through Thanksgiving to get to the all important retail day of Black Friday.

I've never been.  To Black Friday shopping that is. 

I'm not a big shopper to begin with and Black Friday has just never appealed to me.

So I'm writing a bog instead of shopping today.  And I'm going to list, partially, the things I'm thankful for.  (I'm a list person)

1. so thankful that God has saved me.  that Jesus gave his life for me and salvation is mine, here and now.

2.  so thankful that He delights in me  Psalm18:19

3. thankful for Godly parents, parents who treasured their children and their extended family

4. thankful for grandparents who emigrated to America, learned English, worked hard, started businesses, became citizens but continued to love their heritage.

5. so grateful for a Godly husband of 40 years, full of integrity, honor, loyalty, kindness and devotion.
he's also a great carpenter, electricitian, plumber and general overall problem solver.

6. thankful for 4 wonderful children and all the fun, exciting, interesting adventures we had as they were growing up.

7. thankful for the opportunity to homeschool my children and that God has given each one of them different and wonderful gifts and talents

8.  thankful and grateful for a wonderful church family for the last 26 years.

9.  thankful for a home with bedrooms for all and bathrooms with great showers and a big dining room to have friends and family over for dinners.

10.  thankful for a garden where I can grow my own vegetables and flowers; and a patio where I can sit and see the wonders of God's creation.

11. thankful for a new business venture where God has enabled me to use my creativity and hospitality.

12.  thankful for an untouched 1885 barn, with original horse stalls and chicken coup so that I could venture out on my recent backyard poultry interest.

13.  gratful we live in a small community, where we have caring neighbors, wonderful village friends, where people walk the sidewalks and visit people sitting on porches.

14.  i love seeing the Amish go by the house each day in their carriages, carried along by their horse

15.  I'm thankful for the Word which I can read each day, treasure and meditate on.

16.  And I'm thankful for books and libraries in our home.  Where one can sit and reach out for words and phrases and descriptions and the feeling of pages and leather and bindings.  And where words come tumbling down, enriching our souls and minds.

17.  thankful to live in a country where we can worship, speak, develop of own sense of destiny and purpose, vote, without a fear of reprisals.  I pray that we may continue to be free.

November 4th

Thirty-six years ago, November 4th, our lives were changed forever.  Very early in the morning, before the sun came up, our beautiful daughter was born.  And we became a family. 

Once I got the hang of a schedule, we all got along very nicely.  Although she loved to be entertained.  And I loved entertaining her.  Holding, rocking, reading books to her when she was a week old, walking her in her perambulator, and taking her to her grandmother's, both who lived close by and absolutely adored her.  She even had a great grandmother who lived with my mom and Elizabeth was a great source of joy to her.

We were best friends right from the start.  She was energetic, inquisitive, smart, loving and kind.  I remember having 30 women in our living room for Bible study and she would stand beside me as we worshiped and then she would sit down and do Bible study with the rest of the ladies.

And when she was about 8 years old she developed a love of baking.  Every Saturday she would bake cookies for the family......made her brothers very happy.  And when she was 13, I had to go and help my sister who just had a mastectomy.  Elizabeth stayed home with the boys, managed the home and the schedule and cooked a dinner each night for her dad and the family.

She was and is competetive, which made her a great swimmer and a great student.  And she developed a love for animals.  We had horses, dogs, rabbits, cats and various other small animals that lived in cages.

And on November 4th, seven years ago my mom died.  I miss her terribly.  She was the best mom anyone coule have.  She modeled the role of a wife and mother to her three girls perfectly.  She loved her family, gave us each confidence in who we were, encouraged us, showed us how to love a husband, be involved in community and church, and be interested in others more than ourselves.

I think one always needs a mom.