Last year's Thanksgiving tables
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I'm always a little sad that it gets squeezed by Christmas and the increasingly-popular Halloween, because it's the holiday that carries such meaning and is a joy to celebrate.
I love that it doesn't take weeks of planning, shopping and stress to pull off a good Thanksgiving.
I love that it revolves around food, family and friends.
I love that there is pumpkin pie, stuffing and sweet potatoes - things we don't normally eat at other times of the year.
I love that there are leftovers.
I love that we spend time giving thanks.
Thanksgiving is a time to pause and reflect on the many gifts we've been given. Some years, like when my husband's job was downsized, or when we struggled so long after the crash of 2008, or the year we lost a baby, Thanksgiving came just when we needed it. It was hard to see past our troubles to the blessings, but even then, there were things we could give praise to God for. It made us stop and look for them...and see that He was still with us and still providing for us.
Comfort, strength, friends, faith, life. The tough years have a way of shifting our focus from the material to the eternal, and maybe that's the way it should be all the time. Just a little bit off-kilter, a little unsteady on our feet so that we hang on to our Heavenly Father and give thanks in the midst of it all.
Wherever Thanksgiving finds you this year, may you be blessed with the things that matter most. God has brought you so far, my friends, and He has so much more in store for you. Celebrate this holiday knowing that you are smack in the center of His care and that He is with you each step of the way.
I'll be back on Monday, so until then, enjoy your week. Know that I give thanks for you each and every day.
Love, Rachel Anne
