Giving Thanks

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4: 6-7

A week or two back, it dawned on me that Thanksgiving was around the corner. This is not a holiday that is traditionally celebrated here in SA, but we decided that it was something we would like to do as a family.

The last year has not been an easy year, and we can choose to dwell on that

OR

choose to be thankful and count our blessings.

God is faithful and always will be.

He is greater than any circumstance.

He is our reason for a hope and a future.

He can turn our complaining and grumbling into gratitude.

In the weeks preceding Thanksgiving, we had a jar on the coffee table and each family member jotted down what they were thankful for on a daily basis and added it to the jar.

The younger two and I started reading Pilgrim Stories by Margaret Pumphrey. We are thoroughly enjoying learning about the history of the Pilgrims, their life in England, time spent in Holland and their new life in America. The children are fascinated by the American Indians and it seems we will kick of next year learning about them.

Anyway, back to our Thanksgiving dinner...

We had invited our new neighbour and her son to join us, but sadly, they had plans. An hour or two before dinner, her plans were cancelled and she asked if it was not too late to join us?

We were so pleased they could!

My sweet, kind neighbour came bearing contributions to the meal, a bunch of my favourite flowers and a fantastic gift basket filled with all sorts of delicious, decadent treats!

As hubby was carving the meat, he thought we should invite another of our neighbours too...

a quick call and he was over at our place in 5 minutes!

We were so thankful for the gift of a shoulder of mutton from my dear sister and her husband. We had the most wonderful evening, eating a delicious meal, laughing, playing some games and sharing what we are thankful for.

Desert was made even more delicious thanks to the gift of a jar of sour cherries from my sister too!

We have already planned who will be hosting next years Thanksgiving dinner in the neighbourhood!

Psalm 106:1-2, "Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for his is good! His faithful love endures forever. Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise him enough?"