Happy (American) Thanksgiving!

I was just commenting to my husband last night that my traffic seems oddly low and slow. He wisely said, "Hmm, maybe because it's American Thanksgiving tomorrow." Oh yeah. You think? 🙂

I hope y'all are thoroughly enjoying wonderful times with your loved ones, and please, a second helping of turkey and pumpkin pie, just for me.

(Don't think I'm deprived- after all, I did just celebrate American Thanksgiving last Saturday night with all the trimmings, not to mention Canadian Thanksgiving back in October, but truly, one can never have quite enough turkey and pumpkin pie.)

A verse that seems to keep coming up over and over again lately sums up my thoughts this Thanksgiving season,

“Though the fig tree should not blos­som and there be no fruit on
the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields
pro­duce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and
there be no cattle in the stalls, YET I will exult in the LORD, I WILL
exult in the God of my sal­va­tion. The Lord God is my strength, And He
has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.”
Habakkuk 3:17-19

For some, it may feel as though hard times have already arrived. For others, it may be an anxiety, as they watch the economy slowly go from bad to worse, anticipating how it will hit them next. We are in the latter group at the moment, seeing it's effects and yet not fully feeling them. It makes me recognize just how blessed we are right now, and how very much there is to be thankful for.

My husband has recently made it a practice for us to ask each several questions each night at the dinner table, and among those is "What is something that you are grateful for today?" That purposeful practice of gratitude has been so helpful for me, in keeping my heart thankful for all the blessing in my life. Equally as helpful has been the question "How have you seen God's faithfulness?", where we share either something current or a past faithfulness that we have been remembering.

Can I urge you this Thanksgiving to contemplate both questions? What do you have to be grateful for? How has God been faithful to you and your family? What stories can you tell of the things that He has done, to build your faith and trust in Him?

Blessings as you celebrate Thanksgiving, my sweet American friends, and don't worry fellow Canadians, we only have to wait one more month for more turkey!

(Seeing as the bulk of my readers aren't going to be at their computers much, I will take a small break tomorrow as well, to relax and enjoy my daughter's 4th birthday party with her friends. I'll be back for Living Simply Saturday, and start thinking about this… How can we keep Christmas simple, so that we are able to focus on Christ and loving others, and not all of the busyness of the season? Next week, on Saturday, December 6th, that will be the theme of the Living Simply carnival!)