Every day of the year we receive from the Lord’s hand the blessing of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. Every day of the year we receive His blessings in the form of light, the sun’s warmth, or clouds or rain or snow (well we don’t get that in the coastal regions of Southern California), and also evening and night (for rest and restorative sleep). These are all immaterial blessings – of the utmost worth. Little wonder then, that our hearts delight in giving thanks to God for His bountiful blessings.
Thanksgiving Food
Memories abound of Thanksgiving family gatherings from childhood to the present. This year we finally wrote down on a recipe card a specialty that has been served to at least five generations – celery stuffed with a wonderful mixture of cream cheese, grated cheddar and chopped black olives. Yum, yum! Those who didn’t grow up with it (those who married into the family in all five generations) generally became fans of it within a few years.
Although there have always been certain dishes considered to be a “must”, we all have been challenged to find new ways to make and serve those because of changing health needs. It’s been encouraging to know we can still enjoy a delicious low-carb version of pecan pie, for example. Or cauliflower prepared to replace mashed potatoes, or roasted sweet-potatoes without adding any extra sweetener. The possibilities are endless for making adjustments. To see the whole family willingly change for the benefit of some is certainly another blessing; another reason to give our Lord thanks, and appreciate the family members.
Family in Song
One family tradition that we started when our sons were young, is singing together as a family. That was something done occasionally in my family growing up, but it became a regular part of our present family when we moved to The Netherlands. There we sang at the end of meals, or gathered around a piano or pump organ. We started going to friends houses around Christmas to sing carols for them, which was not common there. As the boys voices developed from soprano to tenor or bass, our music changed from 2 sopranos, 1 alto and 1 bass to male quartet music; and eventually to SATB when we gained back a soprano by marriage! This last Thanksgiving was very special as we enjoyed more family together to sing. One granddaughter accompanied the group on the piano. All four parts were well represented. A highlight for us was a comment made by a grandson expressing how much he enjoyed being a part of the singing this year and how good it sounded. He’s fifteen! So much for which to be thankful!!!
