Thankful

Have I ever expressed how much I love Thanksgiving? I really REALLY LOVE IT! Not because of the turkey- I actually would prefer a lot of other foods to turkey... Not because of the stuffing or the green bean casserole or even the pumpkin and french silk pies (GASP!). I love that, at Thanksgiving, anyone and everyone gathers around and shares in the awareness of all that we are blessed with in life. There are so SO many things that each of us have or receive that we could spend literally hours on end talking about them and being grateful. And the THINGS are really so insignificant in comparison to the PEOPLE and the relationships that we are blessed with throughout our lives. And the promise that we will always be satisfied in our Lord- is there enough thankfulness to even begin to cover that?

This year my Thanksgiving break was spent with two of my favorite groups of people. Trey and I ventured down to Yankton on Thursday to spend the day with his family. We were supposed to bring cheesy potatoes and I (or my Crockpot) somehow managed to ruin those... Luckily for us, the turkey wasn't done on time; we made some impromptu mashed potatoes upon arrival and everything was fine (WHOOFTA!). We got to sit around the table with the family and tell fun stories and reminisce on holidays of the past. Eventually, after the table was cleared and dishes were done, everyone made it to their respective sleeping spaces to take naps. When we all were up again some more quality time was spent in conversation while we sat on the couches in the upstairs family room before we had to head back to Sioux Falls for the night. It was a GOOD day. 

Friday morning we hit the road by 6:15 to head for Elk River. Trey and I traded off driving and napping on the way up, so the lack of sleep didn't seem so bad by the time we actually arrived. My family's second Thanksgiving was on Saturday. We got up early to stand outside by the trashcan (which is where dad cooks the turkey), with hoods up and coffee mugs in hand (not necessarily with coffee in them...). A hilarious home video was shared, along with some other comical YouTube videos, while the final touches of the meal were prepared by all. Gourds of all shapes, colors and sizes held name tags on the table for each person to know their chair. After the meal a card game commenced, with many comical moments throughout. Getting to enjoy food, games and much needed conversation with family is such a blessing in my life. The rest of the evening was spent playing games/watching movies with my nephew and returning to the table for another round of cards. To top it all off, I got to snuggle with Trey on the couch while we watched Dexter with the family. Perfect.

I like the definition of "thankful." 

thank·ful

1. Aware and appreciative of a benefit; grateful.

2. Expressive of gratitude: a thankful smile.

I like that the word aware is there. Because I think, too often, we do not spend time being aware of what we have, so we forget to be thankful for it. I guess, the way I interpret it, to increase our thankfulness throughout the year, we should increase our awareness. And then I love how the second definition includes expressive. We should not hide that we are grateful for life's blessings. We should share it in outward expression that we have been blessed beyond what we deserve. The fact that we know that we have the greatest blessing of all, the unwavering love and forgiveness of our God, is more than enough reason to give "a thankful smile." We should dance and sing and shout in gratefulness of all that we are given, not only this past week that surrounds Thanksgiving day, but always.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend filled with celebration and reflection on all of your blessings. 

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." Psalm 107: 8-9

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