Thanksgiving Day

Imagine a center for disaster relief where large groups of homeless people crowd into a small area, with pallets and mats spread out on the floor; a place where even moving around requires intricate chess-like maneuvers. If you can imagine that, you about have the idea of what Grandpa and Grandma's house is like when we invade it. The living room becomes a bedroom for four, utilizing over half the floor and both of the couches. The den is wall to wall mattresses and Daddy and Mommy's room is even worse with a crib, a mattress, a queen sized bed, all of the luggage and a strip of walkway 6" by 2'. Even Grandpa and Grandma are forced to take one little resident into their room. Then imagine 11 people sharing one bathroom that has only enough room for one person to comfortably stand in front of the sink. We have to line people up all the way into the shower just to wait their turn to brush their teeth.

Thanksgiving day we fit 23 people into Grandpa and Grandma's 2,200 square ft. home. The tables stretched out for the entire length of the dining room and half of the living room, but at least, we all got to share the same table (even if you did have to shout to be heard at the opposite end). Despite the crowded conditions, we all had a wonderful time.

The dinner was delicious and we had plenty for all. Everone worked together to make sure the process ran smoothly. Mommy prepared the candied yams and the gravy, Grandma did the stuffing, Andrea did the cranberries, and Annalise helped to peel the potates in preparation for our sumptuous Thanksgiving feast. Uncle Jeff is our official turkey and ham slicer; he earned the job years ago and has regretted it ever since, but somehow has not managed to talk anyone else into taking his place. He just does it too well. Uncle Kevin is usually our professional potato masher, but, as he was not here this Thanksgiving we were obliged to recruit somebody else. Brooks stepped in and did such a good job, producing an enormous mountain of creamy potatoes (with just the right flavor and no lumps) that he and Uncle Kevin may have to fight for the job next year. In fact the entire dinner was a success from beginning to end.

We had an added blessing this year in the addition of Brooks and Andrea's newest little baby. Jack is only about a month old and is such a precious little bundle. How wonderful it was to get to hold a newborn baby again; it has been two years since Ania was that small. What a blessed little bundle of life babies are, each one a unique miracle of God's creation. The tiny fingers and toes, the small cry that sounds like the bleet of a lamb or whimpering of a kitten*, seems to awake in everyone a sense of the wonder of a little child, a new life, another soul to be raised up for God.

*(Jonathon adds "or the yowl of the hyena")

Cohen and Ania made instant friends; they even tried to plan an escape together out of the back door, but were foiled in their attempts by the troublesome screen door and its strong magnetic hold that was beyond their muscle power to move.

And yes, the closeness of the space evidently did get to people because Jonathon and Uncle Kregg got into a desperate wrestling match. It involved several different bouts carried on in a record amount of space between the door, the ottoman and the couch. I am not going to reveal who won because Jonathon would probably never forgive me. Suffice it to say that he is planning on doing some serious working out this Christmas break.

The day ended with the celebration of Grandma's birthday which fell exactly on Thanksgiving Day this year. It was the perfect ending to a special day.

Looking back on it, I think how different our Thanksgiving feast must be from that of our forefathers on the first Thanksgiving. I think of how He has richly blessed our nation since then and how much more we have to thank the Lord for. How insensible we are to His bounties as a country and, even as Christians, it is so easy to forget. The Pilgrims probably had more true thanksgiving in their hearts for the meager fair that they shared in the midst of a colony that was facing another long, cold winter with minimal shelter and illness staring them in the face than most Americans today have with all of our health, beautiful homes, and bounteous feast. The Lord is so good to us and we must be careful never to fall into the sin of ingratitude. As Christians, every day, every hour should be for us a day of thanksgiving; a day to thank the Lord for His blessings to our nation, to our families and most of all to us through the salvation that we have in His Son, Jesus Christ.