From the smell of my kitchen, you can guess that it is the day before Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  The food is delicious and plentiful.  Since the days of the pilgrims and Indians, we have altered the menu from the first celebration.  But who can complain?  Turkey, dressing (stuffing), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes,  green beans, squash, dinner rolls, and cranberry sauce.  This is the traditional menu in my family.  Of course, some years we add something to it, but we never take away.

I have not even begun to mention the desserts.  Aah, the desserts!  Just when you think you do not have room for anything else, you see the spread of desserts.  Cheesecake, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie, etc. are some of the most requested desserts at our gatherings.

As great as the food is, the conversation with family and friends is much more important.  Having cousins play with cousins, getting to visit with your sister-in-law’s family, etc. is a big part of this holiday.  We come together to celebrate our abundance and thank God for blessing us with it.

This year might not have been so easy.  We are still at war.  Military families sacrifice so much for us and I am sure that they feel it much deeper during the holidays.  They might not be able to be with one another.  Our economy is struggling.  Our nation’s debt keeps climbing higher and higher as is the unemployment rate.  Christmas looms overhead in the near future.  It might not seem like a time for celebrating.

Our family is still mourning the loss of my grandfather.  This Thanksgiving will be a hard one, but I know that we will get through it.  I will miss his long prayer before we enjoyed the feast set before us.  He always thanked God for my grandmother, who has been plagued with Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years now.  It is a debilitating disease to say the least.  It has robbed her of a good quality of life.  My grandfather who worked tirelessly to care for her still sincerely thanked God for giving him his beloved wife.

Why?  Because together they had built a life.  They enjoyed great times, and they endured sorrows and pain.  We recently found a poem that my grandmother had written to her husband many, many years ago.  It must have been after their fourth child moved away because  she wrote how it was just the three of them now.   Through it all they had each other and God.  For that they rejoiced.

My grandparents lived a life of thanks.  It was not just once a year that they found something/someone for which to be thankful.  One of my favorite verses in the Bible says, “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  It does not say “for” all circumstances.

So as you enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner, family, and friends, make a goal to lead a life of thanks.  Being grateful and appreciative actually helps you endure the bad times.  Times full of fear, pain, and loss cannot consume a thankful heart.

I am thankful for so many things.  My husband’s health has been restored; he is back 100% since his accident.  I am thankful that I live in Texas where I am free to home school.  I love having the opportunity to write on this blog.  It is nice to be free to write what I want.  I am thankful for my subscribers and readers.  Thank you for supporting me, getting the word out, and encouraging me with your comments and emails.  I wish every one a very Happy Thanksgiving!  And a lifetime of Thanks Living!

*”Thanks Living” is not a term I coined myself.  I do not know who said it first; however, I borrowed it from the preacher at our church who delivered a great sermon on the topic.  Wes, I hope you don’t mind me running with it.

Tags: desserts, Thanks living, Thanksgiving, traditional menu

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 6:09 am and is filed under Homeschooling, Homesteading, Texas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.