Thanksgiving Heart Story

So how was your Thanksgiving? I hope that you made wonderful memories, enjoyed spending time with family and friends, and ate some wonderful foods. But most of all I hope you took a minute or several to thank the One who has given you all the many reasons that you and I have to be thankful for this season.

 I had the joy of cooking for my little family of six this year. My husband smoked a turkey for us. The children and I were  "all hands on deck" in the kitchen. Together we made a few casseroles, dressing, gravy, peas and pies. It may have not been fancy, but it was a time to eat together as a family.

My husband said a prayer of thanks once we were all gathered around the table. He helped to fix each of the three older children's plates while I fed the youngest he first bowl of rice cereal. As they were enjoying taste-testing the food on their plates, I asked each one of the children what they were thankful for this year. My oldest, proclaiming loudly, said she was thankful for her family, friends, church, and God. My next to youngest said that he was thankful for his sunglasses and a pattern block game; then he just smiled at me with pride about his answer. My second oldest didn't want to tell us. He said he was too hungry to think of a reason. (Go figure.) I then told them I was so very thankful for each of them as well as their daddy. Then I also said that I was thankful for each year that I had been blessed with since the birth of my oldest child. (I will have to write about that in another post because it is a praise story in itself.) Finally it was my husband's turn. He began saying he was thankful for family, the food, a house, his job and a few other things. Then he stopped to clear his throat before saying that he was thankful for God and His forgiveness, mercy and love. One of the children noticed that daddy was getting "water" in his eyes.

 That was just one of the moments that I stopped and silently thanked God for a husband who is not afraid to live his faith in front of his wife and children.  I am thankful that I married a man who is a Christian. No, he is not perfect nor am I. Does he get it right all the time? No, but he is quick to ask for forgiveness. Whether he knows it or not, he is admired and loved by his wife and children.

Later in the evening the children and I piled up in my bed to finish reading our Thanksgiving chapter book. This year I read, "Thanksgiving on Thursday, Magic Tree House #27" by Mary Pope Osborne. It took two days for us to read this book from beginning to end. I enjoyed reading this book to the children, and for the most part I think they liked the book also. I liked that the chapters were short enough to get to a stopping point because on the first day of reading I was running between cooking and reading. I love reading books whether for my children's enjoyment, my enjoyment or for learning something new. Just one of the many reasons I love being am to homeschool my children. I get another chance to learn about this wonderful world that God created.

Even though we had a small, non-fancy Thanksgiving we are blessed. We have each other and love one another. My husband and I hope to instill in our children the blessed gift of family, and that they will cherish that gift for years to come.