A Special Thanksgiving

I hope as you read this, you can reflect on having had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day celebration, whether it was filled with your family's annual traditions or possibly some sort of new adventure -- in a new place or with new people.  My family continues to be amazed at how God provides for us each day, although He sometimes has to adjust our "grace goggles" a bit before we can see His blessings.

This year, we had the privilege of sharing an incredible Thanksgiving meal with two other families, including a total of 14 children!  Bob & Brenda were our hosts, and the first surprise we found upon arriving to their house was that the dining room and living room had been completely rearranged in order to accomodate one humongous, long table that would seat the entire group.  (It was actually three tables, but they were arranged end-to-end so no one was relegated to "the kids' table".  I mean, who remembers feeling like they were missing out on something, even if completely imagined, because they were sitting at a tiny table in another room separated from the adults?!)

Seven of the children present around that very long table provided the most unexpected blessing.  In addition to our hosts and ourselves, the third couple are the house parents for a boys' cottage at a children's home in an adjoining county.  Of the nine boys they have under their wing, only two were able to spend the holiday with relatives away from the home.  That left seven boys, ages 7 to 13, as well as the couple's own son and daughter, to join us for turkey with all the trimmings.  What a treat!  Each of them was exceptionally well-mannered, engaging in conversation, smiling, appropriately interspersing "please", "thank you", "yes, ma'am", "no, sir", etc.  Their attitudes were so cheerful, you would never guess their prior childhood years had been anything short of ideal.  This is a tangible example of how the love of Christ can transform even a hardened, broken heart.  These children are now receiving love and encouragement every day from these house parents, and God is transforming their lives. 

We are so grateful to Bob & Brenda for inviting this sweet family who has been called to give away their lives every day.  Each of us was challenged to take a closer look at how much we take for granted in our own lives and where we may be called to reach out to and give, even sacrificially, to someone else.

We would love to hear how you recognized Thanksgiving Day this year and what made it special.  If you would leave a comment below, others can also enjoy hearing about what made you grateful. 

Side note: What Thanksgiving Day recap would be complete without mention of how incredible all the food was?  Turkey prepared two ways, lots of veggies, Brenda's famous Pretzel Salad, home-baked bread, and more!  I felt just like "S" in the photo below.  Too many choices...  This pie rack only represents about half of the delectable desserts we had to choose from.  And choose, we did... more than once!  :)