The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

~ Ephesians 1:3

Hello! And welcome back after the holidays! Did you take time to count the many blessings the Lord has given to you and yours this Thanksgiving?

Our family is so very thankful for every provision He has given to us...even the fact that we could celebrate Thanksgiving this year!

  I mentioned in a previous post that we weren't able to celebrate the holiday in Colonial Williamsburg. Sadness.

Well, even before that disappointment, our relatives from Connecticut had talked about traveling to Virginia to celebrate with us, but work commitments on that end postponed that idea to a future time.

Next, we tried to work out a trip to see our little grandson in Michigan, but that timing didn't work out for them at Thanksgiving. Sigh.Enter into the picture....friends in northern Virginia had invited three other families to eat with them, and after one family had cancelled, they invited us to take their place! This would be fun, right?

Then the 7 inches of snow arrived and prevented us from accepting that invitation as well. Tom, who works for the local power company, worked a very long day on a snowy Wednesday before Thanksgiving and into the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day getting lights back on for folks.

Four possible Thanksgiving scenarios, and everything fell through! And we didn't know at that time if Dad would even make it home to eat a meal with us. What now?

Here's one of our Thanksgiving centerpieces which says...Share Your Harvest, and the other seasonal plaque says...In all things give thanks! So that's what we decided to do! So...late on Wednesday night Hannah emailed a young single lady in our church to see if she had plans, and if not, would she like to come and have a meal with us on Thanksgiving Day. She said,"Yes!" 

So we all got busy coming up with a Thanksgiving meal. First, here's a new bread recipe that Hannah made--pumpkin rolls! Yum, delicious! Hannah learned that it was our guest's birthday on Thanksgiving Day, so we made Kate a gift loaf of Cranberry Bread, and Hannah wrapped a bar of Bayberry soap as a birthday treat for her: Sarah was busy making the stuffing and the sweet potato casserole while a whole chicken was roasting in the crockpot...we didn't purchase a turkey this year, since we thought we wouldn't be home! The home-grown chicken was a gift from friends and was in our freezer...it sure came in handy for this meal: Hannah tried a new Parmesan Roasted Squash recipe with bounty from our garden: And here I am gathering all the varied dishes for the buffet line and trying to keep everything warm when Tom reads scripture and offers thanks for the meal: The table was all set and waiting for laughter and conversation to fill this room: She's here! Here's Kate talking with Tom and Hannah while the last food items were baking: And here's our menu for 2014:

Roasted Chicken w/Dressing & Gravy

 Slow Cooker Mashed Red Potatoes

 Green Beans

Parmesan Roasted Squash

 Glazed Pepper Jelly Carrots

Sweet Potato Casserole

Cranberry Relish

 Peach Jello Salad

Pumpkin Rolls

 Apple Pie and Pumpklin Pie w/Whipped Cream

Everything was delicious! And when it was time for dessert, Kate received her own candle-topped pumpkin pie! Happy 29th Birthday, Kate! What a wonderful Thanksgiving we ended up having! We were so glad she could come and be with us!

The Lord used Kate to help us enjoy a special time of thanksgiving here at home when we didn't know what we'd be doing! And He used us to help Kate when her parents were far away in Colorado and couldn't be here to celebrate her birthday or enjoy Thanksgiving with her. I love a story with a good ending, don't you? This will definitely be a Thanksgiving to remember at our house!

Do you have anything special to share about Thanksgiving at your house this year?

~Deb

Comments

[Tammy]

Looks like a blessed Thanksgiving! Last year we were home just the three of us and we were invited to two separate Thanksgiving gatherings. In the end we stayed home with a very sick little girl! Kevin ran to Meijer for steak and that was our Thanksgiving dinner. :)

This year, we were so incredibly blessed to have my sister and her husband, my brother, and youngest sister here with us! We've had a wonderful time!

[victoria]

What a wonderful Thanksgiving you ended up having. I'm so glad to hear the Lord answered prayers and allowed Tom to make it home for Thanksgiving dinner.
Now it's time to look forward to Christmas and begin praying that the snowstorms stay away!

Victoria

[Cathy]

Thanks for sharing your T'Giving. I had wondered what you would end up doing given the fact that your plans had fallen through, and it was snowing like crazy. Maybe Sarah will have to rethink her love for all things snow. 😉

Praise the Lord, our T'Giving was one of joy, relaxation and gratitude. As we all shared how God has worked in our lives throughout the year, it was great to reflect and remember God's goodness. So often, to my shame, I spend more time complaining than being thankful!

Eight of our ten kids (and spouses) were w/us, as were ten of our g'kids. We hope that we'll all be together @ Christmas.

Thanks again for sharing the lovely pix, and the lovely day you had last week. Though I am not a pumpkin fan, those rolls look very cool.

Oh, and, BTW, I am champing @the bit to steamroll over the others on my way to a Christmas Bingo victory, so bring it!

[Tammy C]

Thanks for posting about your Thanksgiving.Nice that you were able to give a nice Thanksgiving .

The first Thanksgiving out of the Army Pat,Dianne,and I along with Lloyd,John and Doug cooked a huge meal for the guys from the barracks that could come to the house.I remember we moved the furniture to fit tables and chairs.

We had small meal with just the 4 of us.We are so thankfull for Gregory 's health.

[Tammy C]

I meant to say give Kate a nice Thanksgiving.

[Toni]

Hi Deb!
I enjoyed reading about your almost wasn't Thankgiving. That early snow was something! I'm so sorry you didn't get to go to Williamsburg - we love that place and have been there many times. I'm sure your guest was pleased and thankful for the invitation to share the meal with you. You get 10 points for that. ;)
Our daughter (lives in Virginia) and her husband were here with a baby they are caring for several days each week. It was fun to see them along with our other daughter and grands. I'm still putting things away but it was wonderful.
Have a great week!

[Nikki]

What a great story! So glad your Thanksgiving turned out well in the end. :)

[Carolyn]

Deb, this was the best story!!! I am so happy Katie made your day special, but I expect, you made hers very happy!!! Truly, the Lord worked this out!! I love ya'll! (-:

All my family was here for Thanksgiving and we cherished every moment! Nothing in this world makes hearts happier than being with family!