We had a wonderful evening. Lots of laughter, brilliant conversation mixed with pure silliness, good food, and the warmth of being together. It was one of those times that leaves me feeling contented and satisfied.
This has been a hard year - well the past 5 months have been hard. Some days, it would be easy to concentrate on what's not quite right in our world. There is, at times, a deep sadness that engulfs Tim and me. But we remind each other that we have much for which to give thanks. And I remember that sometimes, according what David said in the Psalms, thanksgiving can be a sacrifice - it can cost something to be thankful. I'm so glad he wrote that. A few weeks ago the deep sadness came over me again. I drove down to the beach and took a walk along the shore. I noticed the stones lying there and began picking up some that appealed to me, in colour or shape. Soon I had a pocket full.
I brought them home wondering what I could do with them. And I thought of making a collection of things I was thankful for. I cut letters and words from old magazines and applied them to the rocks with ModPodge. Then I glued individual letters spelling out the names of the people who would sit around our table, and used them as place markers.
After dinner last night, I collected all the stones in a wooden dish and placed them on my coffee table. They are there as a visible reminder to give thanks, that no matter how tough the day might be, I can be thankful to God for something, for many things.
In the end, it's the people around my table who matter most, and those who are far away but part of my family. Love and family - I am richly blessed with these.
Dear Lorrie,
ReplyDeleteI know I'm late but I just wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.
Hugs,
Penny
Hi Lorrie,
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post.
I love your idea with the stones. What a great way to count your blessings. I know things have been difficult but just remember that these times will pass. They are not meant to stay.
Thank you for the anniversary wishes. Happy belated Thanksgiving to you and yours.
many hugs,
Barb
Lorrie, your post brings to mind, the scripture in Isiah 61-for you have put on the garment of PRAISE for the spirit of heaviness (vs 3). Rejoice for men shall call you Ministers of our God (vs 6)
ReplyDeleteI get such a blessing when I read your blog!
I just loved your idea with the stones. We all have so much to be thankful for--and being thankful is a discipline. A good one! So, thank you for this blog entry. It helped.
ReplyDeleteHi Lorrie,
ReplyDeleteI have been on vacation for the past couple of weeks, so am catching up. Happy late Thanksgiving to my Canadian friend. I loved this post... you are right, love and family are the best blessings. God will honor the fact that you choose to thank Him even in the tough times.
Christi