A heart full of thanks

I am always very nostalgic around this time of the year (to which I chalk up to being my Dad's daughter-I love you Dad!!), and I often catch myself remembering how we celebrated Thanksgiving growing up. As you might well expect, a family of ten brought it's share of excitement and stories over the years. I will always cherish the hustle and bustle of everyone home for the holidays...a crowded house...sitting elbow to elbow in our little ranch home that was filled with love. I can almost hear the sound of Mom's old meat grinder, pushing out ounces and ounces of what was to become the coveted Turkey Pate. Those of us who had been craving it for the last twelve months knew that we had better get our fill before Gregg came home...or else we would have to wait until next year for another cracker full...I remember watching Dad carve the turkey just so...every piece cut to perfection...white meat on one side, dark on the other...and sneaking a taste for Gram during the slicing...I remember setting the tables...both the "grown up" table and the "kids table" and using the REAL cloth napkins...knowing they were saved for this special day...Mom outdid herself every year...making a feast fit for kings...then, when we had all sat down, Dad would read from his little burgundy Bible, and get teary when he talked about the goodness of the Lord, and all of His blessings He had shown to our family. (This teary part, I also inherited from my Dad!) I remember the folding of hands, the bowing of heads, and the peacefulness of a home that was simple, yet immense with respect to the impact that it had on every soul who entered.

Then, with each clink of a fork, and every "please pass the rolls", we would, without even realizing it, make memories that would last a lifetime. On this Eve of Thanksgiving, as I remember special times of years past, there is a fullness in my heart for a family that is unlike any other. Not because it was perfect or because it was without it's share of ups and downs...but just because it was mine.

Eat your heart out, Willy Wonka!

Chocolate covered cherry mice...mmmm

You name it, we covered it in chocolate today...from cherries to bananas to animal crackers...we are officially on Thanksgiving Break, and a major sugar high!

Way to go Reds!

Tonight was the last game of the fall baseball season, and the team went 6-0. What a great season!!! (And extra big shout out to the great coaches-Uncle Robbie and Aunt Marybeth-Woot woot!!)

Giving thanks

Trying to teach our kids about being thankful (grateful, content, satisfied) isn't always an easy task. We have learned this week about the first Thanksgiving, and all that was celebrated at that historic moment. Many things have change since the Mayflower hit that old Plymouth Rock...so I asked the boys what things they were thankful for...

Josh's "thankful" list:

That Jonathan's not crying

My hot wheels game

Pool table

Making us our Indian vests

Matt and Robbie

Jonathan

My TV where I can watch cartoons

Mom's pies

Nani, Papa, all my cousins, Aunts and Uncles

Jonathan's list:

my birthday toys

Aunt MB, Uncle Robbie, Robbie, Matt, Ali

My Dada

My cat

This year, my list has really gone back towards the same simple, yet vital things that our forefathers were thankful for...peaceful journeys, food for nourishment, loving family and friends. Peace in our hearts, fresh new beginnings, and a soul at rest. Thank you all for making our life that much more enjoyable along the way. Love and blessings to you this Thanksgiving!

Joy in the Journey

Every once in a while, God gives us the opportunity to redo something that was done poorly in the past. Most of the time, we think of it as a mountain...something negative that we have to get around, over, or through. But today, I have an excitement...and unspeakable joy about something good that we are able to redo from the past. I can't really give too many details, mainly because I don't have them all at this point, but suffice it to say, God, in His awesome way, is allowing us to right a wrong that was made many years ago, and we are so excited about it! It's not every day that we are allowed to retrace steps of the past, and then, from the vantage point of a traveller who has a little more experience and understanding under the belt, make adjustments to a path that once led to heartache, and redirect it to a divine destination. Yesterday, in our Bible class, Josh, Jonathan and I read the story of Joseph, one of my favorites. As I was teaching the boys about how God is always with us, even in the midst of circumstances that seem so bleak, God deposited that truth into my own heart once again. The beauty of how Joseph walked upright, even in the midst of adversity, with integrity of heart before the Lord. How his character never waivered, even when no one was looking. And the fact that what his brothers meant for harm, God fashioned for good, in a way that only He is able. Yes, he was betrayed by the brothers that he loved, yes, he was falsely accused, yes, he had to spend some time in a foreign land, and yes, he had to wait in prison more than two years...but I have no doubt in my mind that after everything was said and done, Joseph didn't regret a single moment of his journey. I so relate to Joseph at this time of my life, and I am so looking forward to the thrill of living out the truth of what the enemy meant for harm, the Lord meant for good! I think I can almost hear Joseph cheering us on...

~~Joy in the Journey, song by Michael Card~~

"There is a joy in the journey,there's a light we can love on the way. There is a wonder and wildness to life, and freedom for those who obey. All those who seek it shall find it, a pardon for all who believe. Hope for the hopeless and sight for the blind. To all who've been born of the Spirit, and who share incarnation with him; who belong to eternity, stranded in time, and weary of struggling with sin. Forget not the hope that's before you, and never stop counting the cost. Remember the hopelessness when you were lost?"

T'was the night before Friday, and all through the house, not a creature was sleeping!!!

That's right! It's 10:30 pm....and everyone is awake! Yes, even Jonathan, my sweet three year old, is playing like it's the middle of the day. Luis is watching TV with Josh (some "Nick" sitcom) and I am listening to them laugh out loud. Usually, by this time, I am the only night owl at her "perch" (the computer)...but not tonight! Jonathan just walked by, and went to pull out his toy train box...then Josh came in and hopped on his bed...I was sure he was going to call it a night...but he grabbed a pillow and headed back to the couch with his Dad. This night is definitely gotten off track...time to round up the troops...and time for Mom to get off the computer!! Goodnight to all my family and friends...love to you all!

Josh and Jonathan wanted to be buried in the leaves...all but their faces! (Look at the size of the leaf on Josh's chest!! I have never seen one that big!) After, the boys started collecting pinecones...and we made a Fall garland from gum tree seed pods and leaves...then we decorated our front porch and made it into a Fall wonderland!

Josh, after I gave him a trim...my little boy is growing up!!

Little things..

The boys and I drove to Walterboro on Friday after school, and I couldn't help but notice how beautiful the leaves were! I don't remember the trees ever looking this pretty down here in South Carolina. As we drove home from all of our shopping excursions, the boys were sleeping in the back, and I was just taking in all the colors of fall. I was reminded just how very much God is in control of every little detail...and that He is concerned with the things that concern His children. If he takes the time to paint a pallet of beautiful colors on each tree, how much more so is he interested in our lives, and the things that effect us.


"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-34

Chores

The boys begged for a chores list today...where they could get stars for all the items they accomplished. Much to their dismay, they had to work hard for their stars....I think the fun has already worn off.

Hypnotized

I have really been pondering this election outcome, and I have found myself taken aback by it all. I have a mixture of emotions as I watch everything unfolding in the world around me. I have tried to place myself in the shoes of the millions of black people that are in this country. I am thrilled that our country is becoming more and more "colorblind". What a moment in history to be alive!

I, too, know something about being a minority. I know, you are thinking, "What??" Living in San Luis, Arizona, population 25,000, and being pretty much the only white, English-as-a-primary-language resident, I got a taste of what it felt like to be odd-man-out, with little to no voice. Then I remember going to church in Mexico, and being the only American there...and when, by chance, another American would visit, I would find myself drawn to them, because of the common bond. I think that's how the majority of the black population is feeling today. I think that they are feeling empowered...that for the first time in history, they have a voice on a National scale, something they have, until now, only dreamed of. The issue that I struggle with is that sometimes, when you feel such a bond on one level, you can become indifferent to the things that really matter. I can't help but wonder how many people really looked beyond their own skin color to make this choice. I understand the power of culture...the pull that it has on humanity. I feel like many of the black people are deeply spiritual, "big faith" people. A majority have had strong Christian roots. But the excitement of this campaign has clouded their moral vision. There has been a hypnotic effect that has caused them to make choices that they normally never would have made before. I have learned through the years that we, if we truly are Christians, must not be controlled by our own human culture, but we need to be controlled by the culture of heaven...the moral standard that has been laid out before us. All of us...White, Black, Brown...need to be able to objectively look at the choices that are in front of us, and decide if we are going to be guided by the standards of the world, or the standards of the One who made the world.

The other struggle I have is that I am watching the country I love, heading in a direction that I don't like. I am watching people put the economy on a higher priority level than morality. People holding out for a hand out, rather than the satisfaction of hard work. Because of this, I am more energized then ever. I have been reminded of the urgency of the times, and the vitality of participation. We all have been given a sphere of influence. So, I am pulling my boots up, determined to let the Lord use me as He sees fit..to make an eternal difference in the world around me.

And the winner is.....

Being Election Day, we decided to scrap the traditional school day, and celebrate the democratic process of our land. Our little school room has been converted into a voting room. We have designed the whole day around the election, complete with voting, and electoral college maps ready to be colored red and blue as the results come in. (It's going to be a late night!) The boys have been excitedly following this election, and have learned a great deal about how it works! We'll have the "Parra District" results after Mom and Dad vote later today!

Update...5:09pm....well, the polls are closed here in our house, and the votes are in and counted in the Parra district...and McCain has won it!! It was a landslide victory, complete with jumping and cheering from the youngest voting members...Now we are getting settled to watch the real votes roll in!

It's a priviledge and a right!

"Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. " Psalm 146:3-4

This scripture, that was on my blog today, seemed very fitting for the times in which we are living! As Election Day approaches, filled with campaign promises from here to the moon, I thought is was fitting to remind myself that the only one we can really put our complete faith in is God. Using that plumb line, both candidates fall so very short of living up to a standard that high. So, tomorrow, I will venture out with my boys, and cast my vote for the man who I believe lines up with the issues that concern God most, not the issues that concern my pocketbook most. After all, He promises to bless us according to His riches in Glory, and not according to the economic standards of this great country. That being said, I encourage all of you to vote tomorrow...vote your conscience...vote as if God was watching over your shoulder...because in reality, He is!