Thanksgiving 2010

It's official! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the simplicity of its celebration: feast with family and friends and be grateful. So many other holidays can become distorted. Thanksgiving seems to be one of the only ones that is indisputably pure in its meaning.

I also love that I get to open my home to both sides of our family. Other than birthdays, this is the only time of year that my children get the blessing of both sets of grandparents and both their great-grandmothers here at the same time. I am so thankful for peaceful relationships that allow for this tradition.
P, K & R with paternal and maternal grands and great-grands. What a gift!
We were missing some important people this year...my husband's sister's family from Maine and my sister's husband (on duty as a firefighter) and his children from a previous marriage (their Mom's turn to have them for Thanksgiving).

We really enjoyed having Scott home on a visit from Ole Miss.
Another year with both these gorgeous, gracious ladies: Grandmama Dobbs, age 86

Nana, age 92
This is Nana reading her verse on thankfulness. Each year over dinner, everyone reads an assigned verse and tells what they are thankful for. Hearing the distinct and familiar voices of the people I love one by one in a room is a special moment for me. This was the first year K designed and produced the place cards. She did a great job!
Speaking of K...is it just me or does she look 10?I had to include this picture because it shows a bit of my true colors. My husband wields scalpels all day every day on living people and yet I appear to think he might need my supervision carving a turkey. ;-)He is a good man.

As our guests departed I was on such a high of tryptophan and thankfulness even THIS wasn't able to get me down.
And because I think in word pictures, I must mention the lesson I learned while washing those dishes: Everything worth anything tends to require some work. To just look at the gorgeous Thanksgiving table without considering all that went into the preparation (and all that will be required to clean it up) is unfortunate. The work--the ability to provide and serve and be together--it is the point.

It was work AND it was worth it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I've got—
God's works are so great, worth a lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!
Splendor and beauty mark his craft; His generosity never gives out.
His miracles are his memorial— This God of Grace, this God of Love.
He gave food to those who fear him, He remembered to keep his ancient promise.
He proved to his people that he could do what he said: He manufactures truth and justice;
All his products are guaranteed to last— Never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof.
All that he makes and does is honest and true:
He paid the ransom for his people, He ordered his Covenant kept forever.
He's so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.
The good life begins in the fear of God— Do that and you'll know the blessing of God. His Hallelujah lasts forever!
Psalm 111:1-3(The Message translation)