Thanksgiving 2011

My favorite memories of celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas while growing up was the coming together of family. Even if we didn't see each other much during the year, there was an assurance those special days would unite us.

I thought much about those good memories this Thanksgiving as I realized how fragmented my own family has become. One family member spent the day sitting in jail. Some went out to eat. One spent it mostly alone. And no one even knew what the rest were doing.

It made my heart sad. It reminded me that I haven't prayed enough for my own children that the years wouldn't loosen the ties that bind them. What happens to us that children who wrapped stubby hands around their Mama's waist or wrestled with their Daddy no longer find time to call? How do siblings who laughed and played together become disconnected as the years add up? 

The nurturing of relationships requires so much. Forgiveness. Patience. Grace. Hard work. And I guess sometimes it's easier to keep new connections strong than it is to maintain the ones that shaped us in so many ways. Instead of the absence making the heart grow fonder, it fosters an indifference.

That's why it's so important to nurture those relationships among our own children while they're young, to teach the importance of honor and the value of the families God has set us in.

I was also reminded of the shortness of our days. I know my Dad longed to be done here on earth, but I know he wasn't thinking last Thanksgiving that he'd never celebrate another one with his family. And I know Michele assumed by this Thanksgiving she'd be feeling so much better because of her stem cell transplant. Teach us to number our days, O LORD!

As we celebrated God's goodness and gave thanks, we spoke of the gift we have in feasting around a table together. The laughing. The bickering. The spills. The messes. Hearts joined by the grace of God. His kindness set before us with each bite taken and each word spoken.

We're slave drivers, you know. We made the Littles craft their own bowls if they wanted to taste any of the mashed potatoes.

It was grueling work. Cutting. Pulling out, piece by piece, the gourdy insides. :)

Here Emma thinks of the buttery mashed potatoes so her heart remains joyful. :) Oh, the power of THE mashed potatoes.

Ella was a super helper with Cap'n. And they look cute together, too.

We read the cards from our Ebenezer Box differently this year. Instead of all at once around the table, we sang several hymns throughout the day and read some of the cards each time. 

Cap'n was weary of waiting for someone to teach him to play chess, so he took it upon himself to learn. Ah, we love those independent learners!

He took his work very seriously. Here he wonders what move Bobby Fischer would have made when he was 17 months old.

So taxing was his play that he took a little nap before the big meal.

We did the overnight turkey in the bag again. Very moist, and it freed up the oven for the rest of the day.

The potatoes, made with milk and heavy cream and kosher salt and pepper, swam in just a bit of butter. C'mon, you know when you stir them up, the butter seems to disappear. Can you really have too much butter on potatoes? Mountain Man insists that this is probably a crime somewhere.

The roasted green beans were a success. Fresh works better than frozen.

The Buttery Roll recipe was a hit.

The table was full of Cuties!

How can I get more of that turkey?

Lovely. (Have you noticed there are no gourds at the table?)

Handsome.

We enjoyed having Grandma around the table this year.

Why are they always trying to hide from me and my camera?

Oh. My. Chocolate Fudge Pie! This was so yummy! I'm ashamed to say this is the first year I've made homemade pies. Coconut-pumpkin and this one were on the menu. 

Recipes

Overnight Turkey

Buttery Rolls (I increased the sugar in this. A honey-butter would be perfect on these.)

Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Green Beans

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

Chocolate Fudge Pie (I didn't have blocks of chocolate, so I used chocolate chips, both to melt with the butter and to top the pie.)

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The day was drenched in God's grace. We savored giving thanks to the LORD, and we remembered His mighty acts of this past year and of many years ago. Thank you for your prayers. My heart was joyful even in the missing of my Dad and Michele. 

"If the children of God in affliction would sit down and consider the fruit and advantage that God knows how to bring out of their sorrows, this would keep them from undue despondency and dejections of spirit. Do not look at the suffering, but at the invisible fruit. This holds up the head, keeps the heart, and makes the soul patient. It glories in tribulation, knowing that tribulation works patience, experience and hope (Rom 5:3-5)."

~Thomas Case, A Treatise of Afflictions

Much love,

Trisha