Thanksgiving Thoughts

It is that time of year again.  That time when hurts, losses, bitterness seem to swallow up our ability to be thankful.  Holidays are tough.  That is especially true if your loved ones won't be with you on that day, if you have no loved ones, or if you have lost a loved one. My father has been gone since 2009, my aunt since 2010, and my mother since 2012.  They made our Thanksgiving celebration special.  Thanksgiving was "their" holiday.  They would do this meal and then we would do Christmas.  They made the holiday.  I looked so forward to being at my Aunt Shirley's on that special day and celebrating with both my moms and my sisters.  After their deaths we tried to establish new traditions....but it is hard.  We all have children, they have children,  they have other families and so the annual Thanksgiving gathering has temporarily fallen by the wayside.  This year, instead of being sad about not being with my family, I decided that family does not have to be blood...it is just people you enjoy spending special times with and my Thanksgiving has been amazing thus far.  We had an awesome time at the Anglin farm last Saturday for a delicious lunch with my sister-in-heart and her family.  Then we had a Porch People(my family-in-heart) celebration at the farm house and there was so much food and love just filling the whole place.  It was so fun to sit and listen to stories about the family, love on babies, eat too much, and just be at peace.  Thanksgiving is a heart thing and Saturday was definitely heart full.  Thanksgiving Day I plan to be watching the Macy's Day parade....a tradition I always did with my daughter, and then we will be sitting down with Beth and her family for lunch.  There will be a bit of sadness there because Beth's husband Ron, won't be with us....but love will be present.  At 4 we will be celebrating with our Porch People family at Sherry's.  Steaks and the fixings will be the meal of choice here.  No, Frank and I don't have blood family nearby....but we are blessed with a large adopted family-in-heart.  For that.....we are extremely thankful.  God certainly knew what he was doing when he planted us in Rock Mills.  I am encouraging you to do something out of your comfort zone.  If you know of someone who will be alone on Thursday invite them in....make their day a glorious one.  Thanksgiving Day is vital to our well-being. It focuses us.  It reminds us that despite outward appearances sometimes to the contrary, each one of us is blessed   It strengthens and sometimes mends relationships.  It lightens our heart just a bit.  It distracts us with the comfort of food and fellowship.  But, the most important thing that I look forward to at Thanksgiving is that it prepares our heart posture for Advent/Christmas season and that makes me smile.  I wish you all a glorious Thanksgiving holiday.  God Bless You All.