I’ve been pondering past Thanksgivings. All holidays were special when I was growing up. There were certain foods and traditions that were a part of each special holiday, and I have many wonderful memories of the years when I was growing up. But when I think about my favorite Thanksgiving I think back to the year before I got married. I was in love; I think that had to be what set this Thanksgiving off from all others!

This was a first for me; I was hosting the dinner in my home – a 14′ x 70′ trailer, for my boyfriend (soon to be fiance’), and both sets of parents! The kitchen was so small that if I hoped to open the fridge during dinner or slip over to the sink during the meal, there was no way we could eat dinner in the kitchen. So I moved the kitchen table into the living room and turned it into my dining room.

I don’t remember the entire menu, but I know we had the essentials – turkey and mashed potatoes (thank goodness my mom came early to help me roast the turkey)! We also had green beans and a jello salad. I remember making my first ever yeast rolls. I was so proud that they rose to their clover shape! I’m not sure how they tasted, but they were pretty! I made gingerbread place cards for each place setting. They weren’t nearly as fancy as these, but they were cute and edible!

Everything was very simple. There were no fancy dishes – just the ones I’d picked up each week at the grocery store. My cloth napkins were ones I’d made myself with a couple yards of fabric. I served a simple sherbet punch and iced tea to accompany our meal.

There we all were, gathered in my little living room. I was giving thanks for God’s provisions for this insignificant first grade school teacher. Everything I had was so obviously a grace gift from my loving God. I was seated next to my husband-to-be, and with my godly parents who were the best parents a girl could have, and also with my future in-laws that had been so gracious to me.

That was twenty-nine years ago, and though I’ve had many special Thanksgivings since then, that one is the most memorable. It was the beginning of sharing my thanks to God beside the man with whom I would share my life. God’s been so faithful to us all these years.

This year as we bow our heads together, hands clasped, we will again number the grace gifts He’s given. One of those is each other. Thank you, Lord.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?

I may be odd, but I have always enjoyed cleaning my house. I love the smell of lemon furniture polish, window cleaner, bleach, and Murphy’s oil…it smells like clean to me. However, my problem has been once I get it clean I want it to stay clean! How preposterous! Right now there are two people and a cat that live here all the time, two others that live here some times, and guests that visit at frequent times. How can a house stay clean with all those people living, sleeping, showering, eating, drkinking and visiting in this house? To think for a moment that it can is to do one of two things (and probably both):

1. Drive myself to distraction trying to keep it that way every minute
2. Make those that live/visit here uncomfortable with my desire for perfection

My house has stayed spotlessly clean for days on end – days I was here by myself while my husband was away, our girls off living on their own, and no company came through my door. While it was clean, it was also no fun! How I love having a house full of people, sharing fellowship, laughter, times around God’s Word, sitting at our kitchen table for a meal, playing a game, or watching Andy Griffith and eating popcorn.

Do you know what all that does? Create work for me? No, it reminds me why we have a family-(Deuteronomy 6:6,7 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up), and what we’re supposed to be doing for the Body of Christ (Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart). The early church met in each other’s homes. They broke bread (they ate a meal) together. Ahhhh! Crumbs! No, sweet fellowship! Encouragement! Blessings!

So what do we do when everyone’s done eating and we’re the ones left to clean up? How about this coming Thursday when you may be hosting a crowd at your house and are left with mounds of work because the dinner was in your kitchen? Here’s what you do, you pray this prayer I heard on a broadcast recently. It went something like this…

“Lord, Thank you for this oven that really must be cleaned today; it has baked us many good things over the years.

Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly; it has served us faithfully for a long time, and inside are enough cool drinks and leftovers to last us for another meal.
My thanks for this bathroom – complete with soggy towels, splattered mirrors and grimy lavatory. It’s still very convenient.
I’d like to thank you for these unmade beds; they sure were comfortable last night.
Thank you for this pile of dirty laundry; we do have nice clothes to wear.
Thank you for the dirty floor; the children are healthy and able to run and play.
Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says that you have richly blessed this family. I do them all cheerfully and gratefully. Amen. “

One of the (many) blessings of the empty nest is the opportunity to change plans abruptly. I had put a small chicken casserole in the oven before leaving for church. I set the oven timer so it would bake and be ready at 12:45 and then turn off. When we left church after the chrch service my husband turned in the opposite direction of our house. “Where are you going?” I asked. “I thought we’d just go to Bob Evans today since we’re not having company and it’s just the two of us.” Well, twist my arm! Off we went. We enjoyed a delicious meal together. (Guess what we’re having for dinner tonight? The blessing is, it’s all ready!).

Even though we didn’t have lunch guests yesterday, I did have an overnight guest, so I made Cranberry Muffins on Saturday evening so I’d have a simple breakfast to serve before we left for Sunday school. These were a new recipe to me, but I’ve learned that I can trust my Cooking Light Cookbook, and I wasn’t disappointed. Matt, our guest, liked them too, so I’ll give this recipe a 5 star!

The only change I’ll make the next time I make them is to add a little bit more cranberries – maybe 1/2 cup more. I like a muffin full of goodness! I also added about 1/4 cup orange juice to add the the orange flavor. I sprinkled the tops with crystalized sugar. It makes muffins pretty and adds a nice little sweet crunch to the top. Thanksgiving week would be a good time to try this recipe! Enjoy!

Let’s start out this post with a quiz. Look at the list below and see what each of these things have in common.

1. Keeping an appointment
2. Arriving on time for a scheduled event
3. Writing legibly
4. Returning money given erroneously
5. Finishing a difficult task
6. Keeping a promise
7. Being thankful for what I have
8. Being in a manner of prayer when others are praying
9. Using what I have in a thrifty manner
10. Responding immediately to those in authority over me

Aside from all those items being “nice” things to do or be, do you see a common thread? These are all actions of a person with character. What is character? Dr. Bob Jones Sr. said, “The test of your character is what it takes to stop you.” Dictionary.com says character is, “moral or ethical quality.” I’ve also heard that your character is what you are when no one is looking.

Which ever definition you use, character is lacking in our society today. Would a person with character cut you off in traffic, leave the grocery cart in the middle of the parking lot, cheat the government out of tax money, neglect a dirty house, send a utility bill in late or be disrespectful to our flag? No. It’s so important that as Christians we reveal godly character in our lives; character that points to our God and gives others the right opinion of Who He is.

A person of character isn’t perfect, of course, but they’re honest, alert, clean (in appearance and in their heart), avoid the appearance of evil, and are concerned for others to the point that they won’t waste their time by being late for their lunch date. Character reveals itself in the way a person works as well as their attitude towards their work. Instead of complaining about their job they’re thankful they have one. They will submit to their boss, their husband, and others in authority over them – even a president they might not support in philosophy or policies.

Why is character important? Because we are to look like Christ. I never see our Lord running in late to preach at the temple. Never sleeping when He knew He needed to pray. He didn’t neglect paying the tax – He even payed for Peter’s part! As we see character exemplified in our Savior, so must we be women of character and teach our children what it means to live a life bearing these traits.

When is our character seen? Not necessarily in planned events. C.S. Lewis put it this way, “Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. If there are rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me ill-tempered; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am.”

As we view Christ in Scripture each day, we need to take account of what His character is like and then ask Him to build those same traits in us. When others look at us do they see Jesus?

****Go here for a good list of godly character traits, their definitions, and their opposites. (At one point in our homeschooling venture I wrote a character trait on the black board in our school room and for one week I taught the definition and how to display that trait. Just a thought.)

With Thanksgiving only a week away I’ve contemplated about how I will let my family know that I am thankful for each of them.

Thanksgiving provides a perfect time to express our love and gratitude to our family. We do it frequently for others with thank you notes for a meal in their home or a gift they send, but we need to let those we love the most know how much they mean to us. You have a week to think and pray about how you can express your thankfulness for your family members. Need a few suggestions?

• Send a card in the mail to your husband – isn’t there still something special about getting “real” mail?
• Each night at supper stick a little piece of paper at each person’s plate (or hide it under the plate) telling them a reason you’re thankful for them.
• Send a text message to your teenager.
• In a central location in your home (the fridge or bathroom mirror) post a piece of construction paper and add a new reason why you’re thankful for them.
• Using the family member’s name, use each letter in their name to describe why you are thankful for them. (D – Dare to stand for the truth, A – Always unselfish, L – Look sharp when we go out!, E – Example for me to follow)

Do you have another creative way to express your gratitude? I’d sure love to hear about it!