Thanksgiving through the countries

Well, this week is Thanksgiving. It is a good word- thanksgiving.

It has great meaning on a lot of levels. I think of the Holiday. Thanksgiving. When we were in the Philippines, I didn't know what it was. Sometimes we were in the tribe, and sometimes we went to the city. I don't really remember, but my parents talk about having a meal with other missionaries and having "kalabasa pie"- a rough substitute for pumpkin pie. Sometimes, people would even horde and save whipped cream and take it out on Thanksgiving! What a treat!

I think of all the years we spent in Russia. I loved Thanksgiving. Several years in a row, we had a great family over- they had 4 kids our ages and they felt like cousins! We used to eat a huge meal- complete with real pumpkin pie- and then go out into the night snow. We used to skate (slide, slip) on the ice rink behind our apartment building and have huge snowball fights! We used to take icicles off the trees and sword fight with them and just sit and be happy in the falling snow. Then, we would go back inside for another round of pie!

I think of my grandmother's house. She makes a great meal every year. So wonderful! All 9 of our cousins would come- plus us, and their parents- 23 of us all together. We would have such a splendid time talking, laughing, catching up and eating! And after our meal there, also, we always take a walk in the afternoon and work off about one forkfull.

And I think of tomorrow. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We are going to a Restaurant. They are supposed to have turkey and all that, which should be nice. But, something in me misses the "real" Thanksgiving experience. Snow. Pumpkin. Laughing. Family.

And then I realize I've missed the point. Thanksgiving is not just a Holiday, it is an attitue. It is a word that describes how we see life and those around us, regardless of what country we presently live in. It is a word that reflects on all the good in life, not the things we don't think we have. Because more often than not, we have everything we could ever need right in front of us. In the faces of our family and friends. In the hope of our Lord, and what HE has done for us. What more could we want? So, I bid you Happy Thanksgiving and may the Lord of the Harvest be the centre of your praise!