Thanksgiving

It is usually at my house.  Sometimes we divide up into houses...my family here, my brothers elsewhere...because we are just so big.  All of our children now have their own families...and in-laws to accommodate, understandably.  (I am hugely in favor of sharing the love and taking turns with the other sides of these marriages.  It is only fair.  Many a newlywed struggles with the question of how to do holidays...I figure they don't need any added pressure from their own parents.  Please learn that.)
Anyway, the fun begins with the parade on tv and my brother Owen coming early to make hors d'oeuvres with his deer sausage, cheese, and olives.  There are never any left over. People trickle in all morning while I am cooking.  My mom used to make the dressing.  Her blindness has retired her from that, but she is still there to give guidance...  (She made two pans of dressing - plain and oyster)  Yuk.  My brothers love it though, and we girls always ask, "Which one is the good one?"  Depending on who you ask, you will get a different answer.
Everyone brings a side dish or two and the food mounts to fill every flat surface in my kitchen, forcing us to set up tables.  The dessert table gets the most visits.  Are you surprised?  Isn't that what we are supposed to do on this holiday?  New recipes appear along with the tried and true. My sister-in-law makes the best desserts ever - my favorite being her banana split cake. Yum.
In all the coming and going, it is easy to forget why we gather. "We gather together to ask the Lord's blessings"...or so it goes, right?  Hmm.  How truly blessed we all are just to have the freedom to gather and ask the Lord anything.  BE  YE GRATEFUL.
We welcome non-family members as well.  There is always room for one more.  Is there room for one more at your house?  I bet there is.  Share the love with others.  Just look around you and be mindful.  That is all it takes for the Lord to open an opportunity for you to reach out in love and kindness.  No one should be alone.
Every seat in my house is full, overflowing to the floor and some outside. Football has taken over the living room...and the front yard.  Little girls do cartwheels in the grass.
I make this sound like a picnic, don't I?  In all honesty, there have been years when I declared, "Never again!" at the end of that day when my feet are soaking and my house looks like a tornado went through the middle of it.  Coffee cups and half full glasses decorate the living room and my calendar says, "Christmas is next!"  But it's kind of like when you have a baby and forget the pain for the joy it brings.  Focus on the joy.  Focus on the joy.  The older I get, the more important being together is and I see that I have so much to be thankful for...and it begins with family. 
I have been a little introspective lately.. Looking inward only long enough to examine myself and my motives for doing what I do. Looking far enough ahead to see what I might do on behalf of others.  Please do not make the mistake I have made of putting God in a box - thinking I have figured this whole Christianity thing out.  He is far greater than you or I could ever imagine.  His Son, His Word, and His love have all been pushed aside for earthly whatevers and personal goals. Do we think He does not see us? Do we think He turns His gaze?  We need to be thankful that we are always in His sight.  Let's be His hands, His feet, His mouthpiece to do and say what is right, honorable, and good...but let it all be done with the face of love on it.
Sometimes family can be the hardest to deal with...even the Bible tells us that.  Maybe you are at odds with someone.  Start new. Let this holiday season be one of healing.  Be thankful for this opportunity to live differently.  Happy Thanksgiving!