Counting Down to Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. It has always been my favorite holiday. It has become even more dear to me since we moved to Tennessee. Michael usually hunts on Thanksgiving morning with the boys while Hope and I work on the dinner. For our family, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what God has done in our life, and to enjoy a relaxing day with one another. This year I am very excited because we will be hosting my brother and his family and my mom for the weekend. I wish my other brother would be able to join us, but with his work schedule it is almost impossible. He is a fireman and works every third day. I find that when my family gets together it makes me long for my dad all the more. We have such a great time together, but his absence is magnified when we are togetherand he is not here with us. (My dad passed away just a little over a year ago). I know in my heart of hearts my dad would want us to enjoy good family time and not be sad so that is exactly what I purpose to do this year.

I have found that if I plan for these type of events everything goes so much smoother. This allows me to enjoy the fun instead of being behind the scenes doing all the work. I have been working to get food in the freezer for our meals over the weekend. One night we will have Lasagna and another will be a Mexican theme complete with Enchiladas and Taco Soup. This will allow the time needed to cook a huge meal on Thanksgiving, and still enjoy the rest of the weekend with family. I have also started preparing the items that can be frozen for Thanksgiving. For example, yesterday I made 3 pie crusts and put in the freezer. This will speed up the pie baking on Thursday morning! I also prepared cornbread and froze it for the dressing.

I want my children to learn this lesson of planning ahead early on in life. I feel like over the years I have wasted so much time in a panic because I didn't plan ahead. I want my daughter to catch this vision early in her life! After all, the holiday is about God and people instead of turkey, but if all we do is mess with food then we have lost the meaning.

grace and peace,
julie