After leisurely drinking coffee and watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, I did more prep, but found myself feeling dry in spirit. Truth be told, I hadn’t read the Word in a handful of days. I’d written in my prayer journal Tuesday evening, but I hadn’t been in God’s Word. And I could feel it in my spirit. With the kids upstairs watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Ben looking after them, I shut our bedroom door and opened to the Psalms. I often myself in Psalm 51 when I’m realigning heart, mind, and spirit to my Lord.
On Thanksgiving Day, I was struggling again with fear of loss and fear of the future. It made this celebratory day hard to grasp, but as I floated around after reading Psalm 51, I was deeply encouraged by Psalm 56.
Verse 3 – When I am afraid I put my trust in you.
Verse 9 – Then my enemies will turn back in the day I call. This I know, that God is for me.
Verse 13 – For you have delivered my soul from death, yes my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
And then I rested.
I rested knowing that God is my Rescue and my Help. Instead of fearing what may be, I rested in knowing what IS. God IS my Help. God IS for me. God IS my Rescue. These things are true. These things are my reality no matter what happens. God’s presence changes everything! My day was no longer under the power and suffocation of fear.
While, of course, there was nothing perfect about Thanksgiving Day (although I’d argue that some moments were QUITE perfect around that table!), there was delicious food and fellowship, delightful laughter and conversation, homemade hot cocoa, corn pudding (!!), pies and cake and ice-cream. I shouted my Happy Thanksgivings from the kitchen as people left our home laden with food and fine memories of a good Thanksgiving had, and I felt the joyous-ness of those shouts. These Happy Thanksgivings at the end of the night resonate in my heart like no other part of the day!
The décor this year turned out to be a woodland secret garden tucked away indoors. It took a minute for it all to come together, but it finally did and I’m pleased!
Remember earlier this year how it felt like spring took forever to arrive?
In so many ways, Thanksgiving Day felt like spring itself. The weather, sunlight, and table all pulsed with spring. While I love a good old-fashioned dreary Thanksgiving Day, it felt like quite a treat to have such a feeling of spring throughout. I’m tucking away that as gold from the Year 2023.
Let me assure you that the photos you see are the prettiest everything looked that day. The chaos of joy and life and blessing collided in noise and conversation and not enough counter space and stacks of foil and so much mess.
However…
While this is the prettiest everything looked, it’s certainly not the best. It looked the best when people came parading in and dropping off the mess and making all the noise and gathering and laughing and being.
It looked its very best right then.
(your free download – own the entire poetry collection today!)
(Swan Song of a Scarecrow + Hope Gives a Eulogy are each under $10 through the holidays. This is such a good deal! GAB YOURS.)
Sierra V. Fedorko 
Leave a comment