“Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided – Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!” In preparation for Thanksgiving weekend, I was thinking about this song and the reason we even celebrate Thanksgiving.
In my research I realized on a larger scale that gratefulness and thanksgiving is not merely a personal attitude but rather this particular day was for a nation’s gratefulness for God’s protection and provision for the precious year. George Washington proclaimed it in 1789 as this nation began forging new paths and a new birth. I personally thank God for His watchcare over this nation and pray His mercy will abound. Great is His faithfulness.
Fabulous food
This past week was full of great and glorious times. It began with Sophie and Sylvia coming on Wednesday to help me clean house more thoroughly in preparing for our family weekend. We took them for supper afterward to the Hometown Cafe and enjoyed visiting and working with them. Thanksgiving day I started my baking, then we took a break to go eat at the Episcopal Church on the island in Potsdam, then stopped by the Molineros’ to give Pete his payment for restoring my laptop – lemon poppy seed muffins and oatmeal cookies. It was a quiet thankful day.
Friday I finished the baking and that evening Chad and Kate brought her famous lasagna for supper and what a treat that was. Dad says hers is the best! Baby Sam has grown so much and seems to be smiling all the time. He is such a happy baby at ten months, and his sister, Cheyenne, is a big help to Kate. They visited a while and then continued on to Eric’s and Andrea’s.
great fun and better to have no schedules when away from home
Later that evening, Ariel and Maygan, our granddaughter, and Kaylie, our great-granddaughter arrived for the weekend. Jami, Karen, Garrett, and Heidi came after and all got settled in. Then the power went out about 9:30. The little children loved the candles and flashlights so kept going up and down the stairs with the flashlight thinking of going to bed and then changing their mind. They thought it great fun and we decided it’s better to have no schedules when away from home.
Eliot, Lori, Byron, and Alyssa also stayed at Eric’s arriving Friday evening. Saturday was a very fun day with the cousins playing, moms getting Thanksgiving on the tables (there were 25 of us), and the dads helping or visiting. As usual the food was delicious and bountiful!
Mother-daughter time
basking in the memories of little children’s laughter and delightful antics
That evening Karen and I stayed up talking until 3 am., which was a first for us. It was a special time sitting in the quiet living room with the lights down low and talking about anything and everything. This is a precious memory that wasn’t planned.
When the Vermont family is visiting, they like to have lunch at Ponderosa on their way out of town. So many of us went to lunch them and then said our good-byes to two more families. Karen and Jami stayed one more night and left for home yesterday. Oddly, I’m not as tired as I thought I might be and though the house is sadly still, I am busy with stripping beds, laundry, changing out decorations, and basking in the memories of little children’s laughter and delightful antics. Dick was excited that these little ones (ages 18 months, 3, and 4) loved to be read to. He was able to read many books – including one of his favorites, The Little Engine That Could!
Treasured memories
Sharing our Thanksgiving weekend now with you, I find that it really is the little things that matter the most. Byron (17) saying he enjoys talking with us (and we love it, too), Alyssa (11) watching and making sure she talks to all the adults and also plays with and watches over the little cousins. Matthew (11) giving his cousins a ride in a makeshift go-cart pulled by the riding lawn mower, Garrett (3) playing imaginary games with his Mack truck and Dingy, Papa’s stuffed bear. Kaylie (4) praying before bedtime. How precious are these treasured memories.
Well, that is just a short version of our long and wonderful week and as I sign off to begin the Christmas decorating, I pray your Thanksgiving was extra special and that as a nation we don’t forget to be aware of and grateful for God’s protection and provision in our lives. See you next Tuesday as life continues just over the hilltop in Norwood. Gratefully yours, Sharon