Our very first family Thanksgiving at home was nothing short of magic. It was small, and cramped…and we used a measuring cup to scoop out the gravy, but it was such fun to prepare our table for a day of Thanksgiving.
Our jar of thanks to God is staying out for the entire weekend…as we put up our Christmas decor, drink from our traditional Christmas mugs, and welcome in the Christmas season with open arms and overflowing hearts.
God continues to work heart-miracles in me. In September, I wanted nothing to do with fall. I wasn’t ready for it. I dreaded it. But on the last day of September, I could finally open my arms wide to the start of the holidays.
By November, I was feeling actual light-hearted joy. It wasn’t perfect. Hard days aren’t going away anytime soon, but November wasn’t dry or brittle….it was overflowing with life.
Having Thanksgiving at our home overwhelmed me close to tears. The joyful kind. And in a year as unexpectedly hard as 2017, this Thanksgiving was a mountaintop far above the valley. A mountaintop that will always be remembered when I look back at this year.
Who knew a hobbling heart could gaze at a rainbow and know hope…and who knew that this same heart could sit in abundance, a place of Rest, surrounded by laughter at the edge of a hard 2017. God is truly good…He is a Giver of LIFE.
And now….please notice 2 things about the following photo.
- The mashed potatoes proudly made from a box!
- The Christmas hot-pad feeling unapologetically unashamed at being Christmas-y on Thanksgiving Day!
How many people can you fit in a small kitchen? FOUR! Turns out you can fit 4…..and rather uncomfortably at that! Cooking mashed potatoes, carving turkey, finishing the green bean casserole and making up the gravy was….interesting. Can you spell C-R-A-M-P-E-D!? It was quite fun, though.
And Turkey in a salad bowl….BECAUSE WHAT ELSE?! I desperately need more serving dishes!
It was a Happy Thanksgiving, indeed. I sit here anticipating the Christmas season, because it is here that I will do my final reflections for the year. And I am certain that the reflections will be whole, instead of broken. Because that’s what God can do.
Now, excuse me while I drink coffee, watch Christmas movies, and decorate the tree. It’s not the New Year yet!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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Sierra V. Fedorko 
Your table set up was so cute! Glad you made the best of the situation.
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Thank you! It was SO much fun! 🙂
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[…] hope, not pain. I experienced my springtime in November, and it was beautiful! We were also able to host our first Thanksgiving.…and we LOVED […]
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