“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
- G.K.Chesterton
How was your Thanksgiving?
We had a wonderful day- though entirely different than had been expected.
We had EXPECTED to go to my parents' house for Thanksgiving, the first time in many years to do so.
Two days before, though, Adele' started feeling crummy with a stuffy nose and sore throat. Moses wound up acting really weird all that night, breathing really weird. And then I got a sore throat and stuffy nose too.
I doubt we have COVID but... I also want to be conscientious of the fact that we *might*.
So on Tuesday night, I decided we would stay home for Thanksgiving. I had already roasted a turkey a few days prior in order to have 'leftovers' of turkey and to make broth. So the turkey was already serendipitously taken care of.
Wednesday I told the children that instead of doing schoolwork, I wanted them to each make a dish for Thanksgiving.
Corynn chose apple crisp. (We all know how much she loves that stuff.)
Adele' roasted the veggies.
Judah made homemade chunky applesauce.
And Ineke helped me make oodles of stuffing.
Moses "helped" by taking dishes out of cupboards for us to trip over all day.
I made the gravy the day of and opened up some of our preserves to add to the table and voila!
We wound up being able to have quite a Thanksgiving feast, though we hadn't planned on having one, hadn't grocery shopped for ingredients ahead of time and didn't have to spend the day cooking. It was quite remarkable.
Instead of cooking, we spent Thanksgiving eating and playing games.
It was kinda fabulous.
Man, these people are my favorite.
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
(Psalm 100)
God is good!
ReplyDeleteYour day looks peaceful and lovely! A slower day was probably just what you all needed.
ReplyDeleteYour food prep. method is the same trick I use, but with more older children, I have it even easier! A younger friend who has two young children stopped in last night to see Ransom, and she was saying that she can barely manage two children, giving the age-old question, "How do you DO it with TEN?!!!"
My response was that with all these capable companions, I had it a lot easier than she did! It's the truth. That time with only two children, when we young mothers were exhausted and everything to everyone, was precious and fleeting, and there are days when I miss the sweetness of it, but Thanksgiving is not one of those days. ;)