On the First Day Of Christmas
My True Love gave to me….A Home.
A very different home than we have embraced for over 25 years…but still a home. This years Thanksgiving was spent gathered around a picnic table and an outdoor fireplace on our Florida friendly patio. Gone was the Mahogany dining table and surrounding high back Queen Anne chairs. Gone was the china cabinet filled with antique china hand painted with pink roses and gold trimmed edges. This year, paper plates and paper napkins replaced china and linen.
We are in our new little cottage this year so our surroundings are different. There is no formal dining room and china is boxed away for a “someday” daughter give-away.
It was a different Thanksgiving but it was filled with “Thanksgiving” none-the-less. It was filled with full tummy’s and full hearts.
Last week I got a brain storm idea. Yes, I know, earth shattering but true. For the past oh-so-many years, my Christmas Tree has been decorated in royal purple to match the colors of our formal living room. (The one that was next to the formal dining room). I gave away all the purple bulbs, ribbon and beads when we were packing to move this January. I knew no formal living room was at the other end of the U-Haul drive. Last week, as I contemplated the fact that my Christmas tree will need to be different this year, and our family days of Christmas would be looking quite different as well as our family is spread from the East to the West, I decided I would make my tree very different and decorate with Black and White pictures of Christmases past.
As one photo after another streamed off the printer, tears streamed down my face.
Oh how quickly it all goes by.
Oh how quickly boys become young men coming to Thanksgiving dinner ON motorcycles instead of UNWRAPPING them and ruffles of christmas crinoline become skinny jeans and cowgirl boots.
As I packed up decorations yesterday from our first Thanksgiving in this house and pulled out boxes to decorate for our first Christmas in this house, I thought about how true it is that a house is only a home when Jesus is the foundation. He is the only one who remains the same.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise (WOMAN) who builds her house on THE ROCK.”
Matt 7:24
People change. Life moves around. He is always home.
Where He goes I go, where He stays I stay.
How about you? Was your Thanksgiving much like years gone by or was if a year of “different”?
My December give-away begins today as we count down to Christmas Day together. I am having my best give-away of the year so GET YOUR NAME ENTERED EVERY TIME YOU SAY HELLO THIS MONTH!!
oh my goodness – I’m crying!! Beau-ti-ful!!!!!! I’m already seeing the changes in our Christmases as my oldest son becomes more independent and my youngest son still believes – and I know it’s not too much longer. Oh how we can all relate in some way.
boo hoo, sniffle sniffle
You are precious!!
xoxo
p
Pat,
My Thanksgiving was very different this year. Instead of 7 or 8 of my children here, we had only the youngest. We gathered with our Grace and some friends. It was a lovely day full of blessings, but I will admit as I heard from one child after another, I missed them. My son in California said he and his wife were having a friendsgiving. They were missing family as well. We are waiting to hear about a job for my husband that if offered means a move from the east to the west coast. I will leave my 4 grandbabies on the east. I appreciate your post that a home is where we are solidly resting on Jesus. When He is our foundation we are home. How did you know I needed to hear that? Like you, I will go when He says go and stay when He says stay. His will is always best. Albeit sometimes hard. Have a wonderful day. Kristi
I LOVE this Kristi and can relate to the unknowns as well as the changes you are going through–
My prayers and blessings!!
Pat
Our Thanksgiving was the same…wonderful! But I know it won’t always that way. A group of us just finished The Best Yes Bible Study, so I’m trying to live that way each day. But it’s hard! With Christmas coming & all the busyness it entails, I MUST choose my “best yes” every moment. There may be some difficulty deciphering what that means. Prayers needed!
Yeah Sandy!!! Great job!!
xoxo
pat
This Thanksgiving was different from other years. We invited a friend to go out with us for lunch. She brought her grandson. The grandson lost his Dad about four months ago plus his Mom passed away seven years ago. The grandson is 12 years old. Time is so precious. I read in a book recently something that had a huge impact on my thought for days. It was asked in the book, “how long do we have to accept Christ as our Savior”. The answer was ONE HEARTBEATS. We never know if we will have another heartbeat, it isn’t guaranteed. I wanted to be sure my family and friends know how much I love them but how much more our Father loves them.