Thanksgiving

The month of November comes to a close this evening.  We had a wonderful time with our daughter Mindy and her family. 

We were grateful to have our Denver kids come to our home.  The girls travel well for as many hours as it takes!

Often during this month, we contemplate and think about things we are thankful for.  A tradition for many families at the Thanksgiving dinner is to go around the room and say what you are thankful for.  Somehow, we forgot to do that.  The busy-ness of the littles distracted our minds, I guess. 

In the past I have made a tree out of branches and we and our family/guests have written our thanks on leaves that we attach to the branches.  I forgot to do that this year too.  Here's one from another year.

I even forgot to get out my Pilgrims.  What the daus! (Our families used to say that when frustrated.  German and English combined.) But we had a great time with the kids without all that anyway.  

We didn't forget the important thing though - pies!!  Kaia helped me bake pecan and pumpkin pies.

Mindy says "Baking sugar pie, I mean, pecan pie, for Papa!"  I always use the Southern Pecan Pie recipe from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook.  

Didn't she do good?

Jason and I both LOVE pumpkin pie.  Jason ate it for breakfast too.

We had turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing (oh yum!!), the works!!  Carving the bird happens at the table, just the way my Dad always did it.  It's the Norman Rockwell thing to do.

I think Tenley was a little concerned about that bird.

People sometimes say "What is God's will?"  This morning in my devotions I was reading from 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

"Give thanks in all circumstances for THIS is the will of God in Christ Jesus."  Giving thanks is not something that should occur only in November, but all the time.  That's God's will!   I recently heard someone remark that it doesn't say "Be thankful", as that is emotion speaking.  It says "Give thanks".  That is trusting Him in our circumstances, no matter how we feel.  That is practicing faith.

We hope your family had a good Thanksgiving Day and gave thanks to the One Who deserves our thanks!

What? Not traveling?

It is hard to believe, but we haven't been on the road for awhile.  Not since the first week of October when I came back from Denver. And no plans to go on the road until January.  Hard to believe.  3 months not traveling!!  

But I've been busy!

The days were balmy in October and the front door needed some re-staining and shellacking.  And windows needed cleaning too.

I set out our fall decorations, inside and outside.  There is one extra grandchild pumpkin now, since Hannah has a serious boyfriend!

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We went to the Pretty Prairie First Mennonite Church's 140th anniversary.  I blogged about that.  Click here if you want to read about that.

This is the church back in the early 1950s.

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Our small group meets every other Sunday after church for lunch, fellowship and prayer time.  One day we discussed "end of life" issues and how to have things ready for our kids. We talked about what should go in a file so the kids can follow instructions on what to do in that event.

Besides financial and burial things, it would be helpful to have written down ideas for what to include in a funeral (like your favorite songs, or perhaps you don't even want a funeral).  Your passwords to any accounts, where you keep your moneys.  I even have taken photos of things in my home with stories behind the item.  If they want to give them away to a charity, that's ok.  But maybe they would want to keep a quilt that Great Aunt Lydia made in 1919, or a sugar bowl that came from Switzerland back in 1833.  

One might include their testimony on how they came to know Jesus in a personal way.  Of course, if one dies, that is the most important thing to have done!   How sad that would be if your kids did not know if you loved and followed Jesus!

"For My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day."  John 6:40

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We have had Grandma Schlusser's car for many years.  Al felt he was ready to pass it on.  I was sad about that because I am a sentimental sap.  But I agreed to it IF he sold it to someone in the family.  And his cousin's son wanted it!  Click this if you want to read about that.  It was a fun farewell as the cousins had a get-together and all got rides in the car!

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I have my young mom's Bible study every other week to prepare for.  (We aren't all young, as you can see.  Four of us are grandmas. This day we lined up by age and then sat that way just for that day.)  We are studying the book of Haggai this year.

My older women's study meets weekly.  We are studying Jonah.

I thought I knew that book well, but I've learned lots of new things!

Of course, food is involved in these women's meetings!

There was a ladies' game night at church too!  Such fun!

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Every week I also prepare for Awana Cubbies.  We listen to children say their memory verse for the week and I also tell a story from the Bible.

Becca, Becky and I have known eachother for many years!  Becca babysat for my children when she was a teenager!  Becky and I were in a babysitting co-op back when our kids were little!  And now we serve in Cubbies together!

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I've been preparing for a talk at our Women's Legacy at our church in December.

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One of our young couple's we mentored back in the day had another baby.  

What a joy to go visit her!

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November came and I decorated for Thanksgiving.

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We had a Japan Connections friend's luncheon at the airport restaurant in Hutchinson.  We've all have lived in Japan and now in America.  What a good time we had! 

WWII "Doc" was parked at the airport.  What a treat to see it!

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I helped serve for the Samaritan's Purse Christmas Shoe Box.  As people would bring their boxes in (our church was the area collection area), we would count and put in larger boxes.

Although we haven't traveled much, our son and his family have done a bit!  They went to California where our granddaughter was checking out colleges.  And Staci has been to Tampa a couple of times for treatment.  Josh also went and Emeri also went for a few days to keep her company.

Our granddaughter Sophia flew to Arkansas from Wisconsin to surprise her cousins for their birthdays!  We weren't able to go this year.

And we aren't going anywhere for Thanksgiving either!  But we did have special visitors come for an early celebration!  Next post!