When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.” So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been[a] in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day. Joshua 4:1-9 (NIV)
Adopted daughter and her boyfriend came for Thanksgiving. Because they would only be here for two days, a few weeks ago, I called my mom who usually hosts Thanksgiving and asked if it was okay if we did it here. I could hear the relief in her voice as she confessed she had been worrying about whether she could do it this year. She has been having trouble with her legs and wasn’t up to cleaning the house or cooking. I felt badly that she had been worrying and hadn’t felt like she could call and ask me to take over the responsibility. I guess it meant admitting more than her legs hurt. I was up at six this morning, fretting over roasting the turkey. I hadn’t cooked a turkey in years and had never cooked one in my electric roaster. I was convinced I would give everyone salmonella from an uncooked turkey. I hadn’t counted on the roaster being too small for a 19 pound turkey, but managed to cram him in. It took a little longer to cook that I had estimated, but came out moist and delicious and in time to fix a plate for the clerk at the local gas station. My father, always generous, heard she had to work and offered to bring her lunch. After reading the scripture above and the reminder that it builds our faith in God during good times and bad when we keep track of the ways that God blesses us throughout the year, twelve of us (only my side of the family because husband’s family does their own meal on Thanksgiving) gathered around the table and the turkey which came out surprisingly well and loads of side dishes. Because we started a new tradition of eating Thanksgiving at our house, I took advantage of the change and started another new tradition. Between the meal and dessert, I badgered everyone into writing what they were thankful for on a card and putting it in a pumpkin basket. Then, while we ate dessert, I read them aloud. It was nice to review the year while counting our blessings. We ended the day with a walk on the beach to watch the sunset. Here is what my family is thankful for this year. How about yours?
Friends, family, church and Jesus Christ.
That everything is in the hands of a great God.
New job, Andrew (adopted daughter’s boyfriend) and getting to be with family.
All God has done for us and family.
A home and plenty to eat (thinking of Guatemala).
A blessing of a great friend and helpmate.
A mother who will drive me to the game stop even though she didn’t want to go out again.
Digestive system.
A big table and family and friends to surround it.
Proverbs 3:5-6 that says God will direct your way.
Good health and a good new company to work for.
Lysol disinfectant spray (remember my salmonella fears).
That our family is close.
Healthy children in Guatemala.
Graduation and travel opportunities.
A turkey too big for the roaster.
To have a job and good health.
To have a place to live when it’s cold.
What a lovely idea!
My mom is not really able to do Thanksgiving anymore either – but she has the house that's big enough to hold everyone. I went over last weekend and cleaned it top to bottom. My sister-in-law and I did the bulk of the cooking, and I brought my nu-wave oven to cook the turkey in, leaving the oven available for other things. Mom still insisted on helping (getting in the way), and paid for it last night with leg cramps. This morning, she finally admitted that doing a meal like that was really quite beyond her now. I am relieved to hear her say it rather than having to tell her.