Giving thanks

We're still a few days off from the holiday, of course. But we'd planned to be out of town for the weekend, which didn't work out as we didn't end up with a dinner invitation from among my wife's siblings and my cousins. That hurts a little, but life happens. We realized later that, with our son-in-law scheduled for a serious surgery today, that it would be a good idea to try to have dinner yesterday instead. As it turned out, that made for a very full table, even with the ones who weren't available, with 13 people gathered around it.

We had prayed and were dishing up dinner when my middle daughter asked where the gravy was. Well, in the rush of getting the meat carved I'd forgotten to make it. So I hopped up and and whipped it up - it only takes a couple minutes - and brought it to the table in a creamer. I handed it to my son-in-law and had returned to the kitchen when I heard the sound of shattering china and a commotion. It seems that my son-in-law and daughter had missed the hand-off, and the hot-off-the-stove gravy ended up mostly on our daughter and the floor. While some of the family tended to our daughter, others of us hastened to shoo the dog away and clean up the spilled gravy before he could ingest any shards of china.

She ended up with first degree burns on her arm, leg, and torso. As miserable as it was for her, we are grateful that it wasn't worse, as it certainly could have been in those circumstances.

Aside from that, it was a very nice family day. The house was full of children and fun and good food and people we love. And as the evening drew down, my wife and I each got a hug from - well, it's a little hard to explain, because they're not our grandchildren officially yet, but we're increasingly part of one big blended family.

Oh, and we're replacing an alternator on the car that we'd just had worked on last week. (Brakes and a sensor last week.) Older car issues. Still, it's good that we have the means.

Also, this coming weekend is the 40th anniversary. If you know me well, you aren't asking "of what?" but in case you don't know, here is a little more (without any gross details of my life thrown in).

Despite all of its challenges of many sorts, my life is also filled with many blessings for which I am giving thanks.

Huge heart smile

When a dear friend from overseas asks you for your current cranberry sauce recipe and you realize that means you'll be sharing Thanksgiving dinner together across the ocean!

Giving thanks to God for both of you, for your friendship and your service (especially in unsettled times), and praying that God continues to bless your budding family abundantly.

A blessed Pentecost weekend

We had a really great Life in the Spirit Seminar weekend using the videos As By A New Pentecost. How wise God was to select these men and women to pour forth his Spirit afresh on the Church in the U.S., almost five decades ago. It was my privilege to give testimony to the need for continued growth after we give the Holy Spirit permission to pour forth God's transforming power in our own lives, as well as to help with supplies, music, and to emcee the day on Saturday. I am always amazed that people don't utterly reject me when I share the darkest parts of my own story, how I became what I detest, in the context of how abundantly greater God's love is than our own failings.

Many received new spiritual gifts, including an older couple who have been in the renewal for years but have never prayed in tongues before. It was a deeply moving day, and as we emphasized, only the beginning of the new life in Him that God desires for all of us.

Not derailed

When I lost most of the day's work at the end of Wednesday, necessitating a change in weekend plans, I wasn't entirely sanguine about it. Rather, my mood was pretty sour. But I didn't have time to mope for long: there were pies to bake, and then on Thursday a huge meal to cook. For the first time ever, my bird was not done when I cut into it, and had to go back into the oven. I don't know exactly how I misused the thermometer. Still, everyone rolled with the flow, and we all had a very nice dinner. Our youngest brought her "littles" over for dessert, and we had "birthday pie" for our seven-year-old granddaughter. Then today I spent most of the day working remotely to catch up the effort I'd lost on Wednesday.

So we're in town instead of visiting Teri's cousin and his wife, but the rest of the weekend should be more relaxing, and I still feel very grateful for how the Lord has abundantly provided for our needs. I love our daughters and grandchildren, even when they are not making the best decisions. And I'm truly blessed with a wife with whom I grow closer every year of our lives, and with friends who love me for who I truly am.

I'm going to grump about a thing or two in a separate post, but will try to keep that in perspective, knowing how abundantly loved I am.