simple pleasures precious treasures etched into the picture gallery of my nomad soul so often elsewhere but now savoring this moment soaking up laughter the fun of spontaneous puns and crazy card games twenty-two cards in my hand while the child on my lap tells the table what I hold and we play anyway truth be told it's better this way gluing generations together with turkey and apple pie telling stories of days gone by dancing with a toddler bouncing in my arms hugging warmly at the door knowing we'll have more of these days of grace together falling into bed exhausted and exhaling joy full of gratitude enough said—it's all a gift That was Thanksgiving 2016! Yes, my “nomad soul” was “savoring this moment,” deciding to be grateful even though soon there would be separation. That was the hardest part of missionary life: leaving loved ones, knowing that the next holidays would be drastically different. But that awareness of the gracious gift of time with them was restorative. I was learning how to be grateful for each gift, storing up loving memories instead of only bitter ones. simple pleasures precious treasures etched into the picture gallery of my nomad soul so often elsewhere but now savoring this moment soaking up laughter the fun of spontaneous puns and crazy card games twenty-two cards in my hand while the child on my lap tells the table what I hold and we play anyway truth be told it's better this way gluing generations together with turkey and apple pie telling stories of days gone by dancing with a toddler bouncing in my arms hugging warmly at the door knowing we'll have more of these days of grace together falling into bed exhausted and exhaling joy full of gratitude enough said—it's all a gift That was Thanksgiving 2016! Yes, my “nomad soul” was “savoring this moment,” deciding to be grateful even though soon there would be separation. That was the hardest part of missionary life: leaving loved ones, knowing that the next holidays would be drastically different. But that awareness of the gracious gift of time with them was restorative. I was learning how to be grateful for each gift, storing up loving memories instead of only bitter ones.
Where are you this Thanksgiving? Maybe you are surrounded by family or friends, enjoying the feast and laughter. Maybe you are glad that one relative is still available to come over for the day. Maybe you are sick, unable to gather with others or have them with you. Maybe you live where “Thanksgiving Day” is unknown, and life just goes on.
What can fill your soul, your inner being, with its own thankfulness? All of us need to contemplate that, even those of us surrounded by our loved ones and enjoying turkey and pie. It is easy to just float through the ritual without remembering what it really is all about.
This became clear a few days ago when I was informing my translation coworker over in Côte d’Ivoire that I would not be available for our long-distance work this Thursday, since it is a national holiday here, “Thanksgiving.” “Wow,” he said. “So does the whole country give thanks to God?” I had to explain that the original goal, when it was put in place long ago, was to thank God for the harvest. He understood that; harvest is over now in that region, too. But now the holiday is mostly about food and family. Gatherings. Most of the people in the U.S. are not focused on God as Provider. He is not real to them.
For those of us who do know him, Thanksgiving can remain a crucial time for practicing gratitude. The world is truly broken, falling apart through wars, controversies, inhuman hate crimes. But we can turn our eyes away from that and take time to be grateful for what we have. If someone were to ask you what you are grateful, what comes to mind first? It often helps to ask a question like that when you have family or friends gathered at your table:
- What really good thing happened to you this year?
- What was a difficult experience that taught you something important, that you are grateful for?
- What has the Lord been teaching you?
- What are you thankful for about him, your Father and Master?
- What do you appreciate about a person at this table?
Depending on who is there, we can choose to guide the conversation appropriately toward gratitude.
We can also reach out to others who are shut in, or far away (given the benefits of technology). We can let people know what we are thankful for when we think of them.
No matter what is going on in our lives, we can thank God for who he is and his gracious love. Here is a psalm that has guided me in thanksgiving. We can personalize it, adding in the ways that we have seen the Creator’s handiwork around us or his sovereignty in current or past world events. He has always been King of the Universe and always will be. And the best part of that is this truth: His love endures forever. It shows up in all sorts of ways, if we pay attention.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights– His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them, His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.
13 to him who divided the Red Sea1 asunder His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.
17 to him who struck down great kings, His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings– His love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan– His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance, His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel. His love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies. His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever. (Ps. 136:1-26 NIV)
Linnea's Lines 
So touching, Linn! So wise to hang on to all the sweet memories of the blessings he gives us and hand over to Him the bitter ones.
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Yes, I treasure thoseâIâm sure you do, too! Linn
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