'Twas the night before Thanksgiving

All day yesterday I kept thinking that today was Thanksgiving. I'm so glad my internal calendar was wrong. 


Right now the house smells of pumpkin pie, Addie is snoozing and I've weeded through her toys, piles for giving away and storage. I also smell of smoke thanks to a bonfire we stopped by with some of our kids from church. Thankfully, it was "too late" when we left to come home and cook dinner so we went out for pizza before heading back home for bath/bed time and more baking.

Thanksgiving will be pretty laid back for us, much like our first Thanksgiving here. We're cooking for ourselves and will hopefully spend the day just enjoying the day. I'm looking forward to it. I've already been through my customary sad-we're-not-with-family blues, but it didn't last too long. It does get easier every year, but every year there's still a pang of missing them, quickly followed by the anticipation of seeing everyone in a few short weeks for Christmas.


Having Addie helps with these pangs, and as she gets older it is fun to explain to her what we're doing and why we're doing it, to see her excitement and to hear her say, "That's exciting!"


Every November I think about our first Thanksgiving on our own and am reminded of the beginnings of this blog - now four years ago. When I started this blog, because it was November, I tried to make an effort to point out something I was thankful for each day, and it stuck. Some days it is easy to come up with something to be thankful for and others I have to think about it. On those days that I have to take some time to think, it reminds me even more of what I have to be thankful for each day.


So now, as my eyes are tired (but will stay open long enough to watch a recorded Survivor!), as my two pies are cooled and the cookie dough is ready to morph into cookies tomorrow, as the turkey is waiting to find its way into the oven and the fixin's will materialize some time tomorrow before noon, I am simply thankful. Thankful for provision in so many ways, thankful for where we are, because it is a reflection of God's timing and thankful He is the one orchestrating our steps.


Happy Thanksgiving!