The Day After Thanksgiving

Indulge me. Coming up for air the day after Thanksgiving. Looking back and taking a minute to get out my thoughts from a full day of family and food and fellowship.

It swirled in my mind before the busyness started. Thanksgiving. Gratitude. All month actually. Not just the morning of. A deep contented appreciation for the people to visit that very day. That Thanksgiving Day.

My dad. My aunt. My husband’s mother. My husband. My sons. A girlfriend. And later in the day. My daughter. Her husband. And all the sweetness anyone could ask for, my grandson and granddaughter.

Why am I thankful for these people?

My memories do not hold a time that my dad was not willing to share the love of Jesus with whoever he had an encounter with. He may not come out and tell you about Him, unless the opportunity happens, but he will show you. The catch of the day shared with a stranger turned friend. A ride given to a neighbor. A short conversation in a waiting room. The aisles of a grocery store. The checkout at a restaurant. A sermon preached. Living life as a walking testimony. For this example am I thankful.

Always willing to spend time with us, my aunt reminds me of generations of faithfulness. Hers is quiet but true. She works inside her church, alongside other ladies. They provide the hands and feet to do what Jesus calls them to. She calls and sends messages to family because she cares and prays. She goes to lend a helping hand.

For raising the man God purposed for me, I am thankful for my mother-in-law. She had struggles to contend with but she was able to raise a man of integrity and compassion.

If I add anything else about that man of mine, it might send him into an inflated ego I don’t want to live with. But here goes. He makes me laugh more than anyone else. His is the perfect laid-back balancing to my high-stress. He is the calm to my storm. I love seeing his current and former students run up to him. There are so many lives touched by his years of teaching. I could go on but this would get too long.

My boys. So completely different. Both have characteristics from my husband and me. They are courageous. They are hardworking. And of course they are handsome!

One of those boys has found a girl that he is crazy about and I think she is crazy about him. She is sweet and kind. She even loves on my grands whenever my daughter gives her the chance.

My girl! She loves her people. Not just her family, but her people. She hosts people in her home. She prepares food and delivers for new moms and others who might need a little extra help. She has a heart for leading others to know Jesus. She has gifted me with two little people I can spoil send home with her. She is beautiful and generous.

That man of hers captured her heart while they were teenagers. He is a fierce provider. He loves my girl well. His babies adore him. He sees to it that his family is active in the local body of Christ.

And let me tell you about those two little ones I get to call mine. The older, all boy. Rocks and sticks and tractors and race cars and excavators and feeding the cows. He doesn’t want to waste his time eating. No! Too busy. Thoughtful. Inquisitive. Observant. And when he laughs, he goes weak all over.

Then there is that beautiful little girl. Her smile lights up the room. Just barely sitting up, she puts her head down when she meets a stranger. Until she knows you, she may not give you a smile. But when she does, you will be blessed. She is a mama’s girl. And she will let you know when she needs her.

My life is rich because of God giving me these people. My Thanksgiving Day was full.