Thanksgiving

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

We just returned from an extended and relaxing weekend in Cashiers where we celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with both families. Over the past several years, we've been blessed to enjoy a single Thanksgiving meal with both families dining together. Friday morning found us on a nearby Christmas tree farm selecting this year's tree. One of Thompson's fondest memories from the morning was observing how the tree-tying machine worked, and reminded us all weekend about the "the thing goes around and around and around".

In recent months, we have been reminded of the importance of giving thanks in ALL circumstances. We've been "richly" blessed with a Lord and Savior who loves us more than we can imagine, one another, a son, loving families, cherished friends, our health, our home, daily blessings from above, and the list could go on and on. Among Thompson's many Thanksgiving-weekend blessings, he is thankful for his Ma-mere and Pa-pere, his Annie and Poppy, the Stihl blower, playing ball, weed eaters, the park, the hot pool, special milk, cookies, spending the night at Annie and Poppy's, going to church, and looking for diggers. And may you, too, identify the ways in which you have been blessed this Christmas season (and year-round) and give thanks.

Blessings

As we sat down last night to eat dinner, we asked Thompson (like most nights) to say the blessing. We were pleasantly surprised to hear him share one that we have never heard him say before.

God our Father
Once again
Thank you for our blessings
Amen.

He proudly told us that he learned it in school. How awesome! So now, he's got three blessings in his repertoire. I wonder which one he'll pray next?

"Look at all that snow!"

Thompson said as he ran to the back door this morning. Yes, we arose to a chilly morning complete with a layer of snow on the ground and flurries in the air. As the day has progressed, the flurries have diminished and much of the snow has melted...but it is still cold! (This is a picture was taken from our front porch.)

A Turtle on a Bull?

What else would you expect on Halloween!? Our festivities began last night at Hoopla, our church's Halloween alternative. Despite the numerous booths and candy available, Thompson opted for the jumphouse, bull ride and fire trucks. After Hoopla, we returned home where we caught up with several neighborhood friends for a traditional round of trick-or-treating!