Are you ready for…?

Fill in the blank with the next fast approaching holiday and you have a common way to make small talk at this time of year.

However, I am really asking…are you ready for Thanksgiving?

Did you know that we are one of the few countries on earth who actually have a holiday set aside to express our gratitude to God and each other? Although Marxists are feverishly working to eradicate any mention of Christianity with the founding of the United States, you can read a little history about this holiday here.

But back to the question? Are you ready?

The first celebration was a three day feast! We have held onto that part of the tradition fairly well. However, it was never intended to be exclusively a feast. If we let this weekend pass as just a good excuse to eat too much and watch football all weekend, we will miss an important marker in our life this year.

If you are ready, you might just need three days to celebrate it.

Each year, I believe that we get a little closer to properly celebrating Thanksgiving. The first year, it was like jumping into a swimming pool full of cold water. I just did it. However, with each year, everyone gets a little more involved.

Since I am still not working, I have more time on my hands than in previous years. This is the most prepared that I have ever been. I actually remembered to encourage my children to prepare.

What do I mean by getting ready?

To be thankful, you must first remember. There is no way, at least for me, to spontaneously remember all of the great, neat, wonderful moments and events that happened in my family during the past year… especially when my belly is full of food! I have to rack my brain to remember what happened last week!

So, all during the year, I try to record what happens in my family on a daily basis. If I am truthful, I will have to admit that I actually use my Day-Timer or calendar software more to record our lives than to plan out my daily schedule. In the past, I have even used my Quicken (accounting software) entries to help me remember what happened during the year. This blog has been very helpful this year.

As I have gone through most of my notes (my laptop is in the shop!) and made notes on a blank calendar, I have laughed out loud at the fun memories. And now, as I am writing this, I am crying at the touching moments that I know are going to transpire in our home over these next four days. It will take us that long to tell the stories and relive the moments and be grateful. God has been good to us!

I realize that this is late. It would have been more helpful if I had written it a week or two ago. With that being said, it isn’t too late…

Spend a little time remembering God’s goodness tonight…or even Thanksgiving morning. Then make your children and/or your friends sit around the table while you tell a few stories and express your gratitude. You never know what might happen. You just might start a “new” tradition.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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