We Gather Together

Honestly, you may ask, "Can a pumpkin really be a blessing?"

I suppose not everybody would agree...

But when it brings my kids and I together, to still partake in family traditions, no matter our ages or circumstances...

 ...You BET it's a blessing!

So happy I was, I had to preserve the memory....  

Hence, Blessing # 26.

I do love the smell of a pumpkin when I light a small candle inside it, and watch it flicker, as it magically animates the character we've carved!!

I am thankful even more, for what can be made from just a pumpkin!  My favorite pie of the season!...

Pumpkin Pie!  

Blessing # 27.

(crocheted with embroidery floss)

Oh, how I love all the yummy Halloween candies and cookies, 

...and all the wonderful dishes 

set on our Thanksgiving table from year to year!

We give thanks...

"For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends."

(Ralph Waldo Emerson; 1803-1882)

More so than any other time of year, I find the greatest appreciation for my sense of taste...  tender slices of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes with melted marshmallows, and all the stuffing, cranberry sauce, biscuits and pies! 

Blessing # 28.

 

As the very first colonial settlers and the Wampanoag Native Americans set down for the first Thanksgiving dinner together, in 1621, we too still celebrate our gratitude for our homes, our good health, a bountiful harvest, family, and good friends!  So I do consider this most heart-filled occasion to be a wonderful blessing...

Blessing # 29.

(crocheted with embroidery floss)

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into His presence with singing!

Know that the Lord is God!

It is He that made us, and we are His;

we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, 

and His courts with praise!

Give thanks to Him, bless His name!"

(Psalms 100:1-4)

(4 more blessings, all together, now added)

We celebrated Thanksgiving, on Thursday morning this year, with a hot and hearty breakfast as we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on television.  We had our Thanksgiving dinner on Friday.  It was a wonderful meal (if I may say so!)... and every moment, every face, and every word fills my heart with joy, everybody together and home for the holiday!...

Inevitably, the time flies, of course, and as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end....

"There's a sad sort of clanging
from the clock in the hall

and the bells in the steeple too,

and up in the nursery an absurd little bird

is popping out to say cuckoo.

Regretfully they tell us cuckoo, cuckoo,

but firmly they compel us cuckoo, cuckoo,

to say goodbye."
(From The Sound of Music; Rodgers and Hammerstein)

....By the end of the night, and feeling tired, I must confess I step into my kitchen and wonder if I could possibly find my gratitude and joy in this!

But...

"Thank God for dirty dishes,

They have a tale to tell,

While others may go hungry,

We're eating very well.

With home, health, and happiness,

I shouldn't want to fuss,

By the stack of evidence,

God's been very good to us."

(author unknown)

Well...  Looking at it that way, I suppose I can!  Every bit of work and clean-up was definitely worth it!  As I roll up my sleeves, and get out the dish soap, again I thank God for this wonderful day!