Thankful

Today is Thanksgiving. The turkey is prepared, the dressing is baking, the gravy just needs to be made when we get to Thorntons, the pies are baked, the rolls are baked, the olives are bought... With everything everyone else is making, this is going to be a real feast!

I was looking at another blog this morning and the woman made a comment about writing something that will be published in 2010. It's not even 2009 yet, and she was wondering if what she writes for that date will even be remotely relavant at that point. The world is changing so fast right now, so much happens internationally that affects our day to day lives. We live in very different times. Something could happen between now and then that would change everything.

This is true.

Today while we celebrate, I will be remembering Thanksgiving celebrations of the past. My mother and father getting up at insanely early hours (they thrive on that) to put the turkey in the eletric roaster. My father making rolls. Mom busy making everything else. Mom was not one for asking for help in this. I think she likes doing it all herself. I struggle with that myself, letting people help.

I know that today at home my family with gather at my parents as they always do. My mom and dad, our three kids, our grandson, possibly my Uncle and Aunt (but they may go to their own kids' place for the day), my neice and nephew, maybe my brother will come from northern Colorado if he can find someone to fill in for him in his veterinary practice, possibly one of my sisters with her boyfriend, maybe even my sister in Idaho with her two kids. If it goes as it usually does, the house will be filled with good smells of food cooking, packed with people talking, laughing, mildly arguing about this or that, the dogs barking outside, Stirling running around as only a 4 year old can, the cats hiding away until everyone has left, football on the television. It might snow, it is forcast to snow, but who knows?

I can smell it, hear it, see it all, in my minds' eye. And yes, I am very homesick for my family right now. I always am on the holidays. In some ways it would be easier not to celebrate here and so not be reminded of what is not. But that is the ostrich way of living life - ignoring what doesn't please me.

I look forward to going to our team mates' home in just a couple hours. There several Americans will gather. Two couples here adopting little children from the orphanages, another single American gal here independently, our Kherson team. Who knows? Maybe someone else will show up as well! All in all, we are expecting 10 adults and 4 children. That is going to be a full house!

So, although I am not at home celebrating with my family that I love so much, God has given me "family" here to love. I will delight in watching one of the kids put black olives on their fingers (I hope they do! Stirling did last year - why do all kids just naturally do that??). I will enjoy watching people fill their plates, listening to the conversation, getting to know the 4 adopting Americans. I will enjoy looking at my team mates and knowing that we really are family. We are so different from each other but we know each other well. We have history together now. We have laughed together, cried together, rejoiced together, prayed together. We are watching the kids grow up together, cheering them on, enjoying their childishness, praying for them, encouraging them, loving them together.

There is much to be Thankful for this year. Even when hard things happen in our work. Even when life in general seems so insecure and unstable. God is still our Father. God is still in control. He gives us all things to enjoy. We can rest in Him.

Happy Thanksgiving!