Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Giving Thanks




This Thanksgiving brought some bittersweet tears along with our expressions of gratitude. Although it has undoubtedly been the most difficult Thanksgiving I have experienced, it has also been the most rewarding as I have witnessed God at work in my life and our family. Over the last few years- perhaps as I have grown further from childhood- I've lost some of the beauty and wonder of the holidays, instead getting trapped amidst all the insignificant distractions that consume focus and time. This year I have been forced to stop and desperately seek the Giver of all good things, thanking Him for His blessings in an open-eyed way I never have before. I thank Him for His faithfulness to me and to our family.
Eileigh and I spent Thanksgiving Day with Mike at the Fire Station. He had to work Thursday and Friday so we packed up our Green Bean Casserole and headed in to Salem. The wives had organized for each family to bring a part of the Thanksgiving meal and everyone went all-out. Apparently the Mashed Potato family prepared 40 lbs. of potatoes!!! We, as previously mentioned, headed up the Green Bean Casserole department- to my great satisfaction. I had been eager to make a new recipe and was glad for the opportunity. Everything was fabulous. Every year at Thanksgiving I try a bite of stuffing- I have NEVER liked it since childhood, but think that maybe one year my tastebuds will have changed and I will be A Stuffing Eater. This year may have been the banner year- I adored the stuffing!! It was quite dry, with lots of nuts and craisins- and only Eileigh's serious need for a nap prevented me from going back for seconds. We'll see what happens next time I am confronted with stuffing; maybe it was just a fluke. Or renegade tastebuds. Hmmm.
The weather was very cold, around 42-44 degrees. We were able to get a few pictures outside before hurrying in to warm up. These have been our first pictures of Eileigh and the fire engine so we were pretty excited. The day ended with us heading home for Eileigh to take a much-needed nap.

2 comments:

Love, Burkhart & Tschiegg said...

ugh, a little tear came to my eye when reading your thanksgiving post. Definitely a different Thanksgiving. Love you Nae!

Mindi said...

You're a very gifted writer, Nae! And I adore Eileigh's fire engine pics...you'll have to get them more often!