A funny thing happened on the way to Thanksgiving

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, but Fall in California is no where near as lovely as Fall in New England, where I am from. I do miss the beautiful leaves turning, en mass, but we do have leaves that turn. I nabbed this photo as we were driving, and the various shades of oranges put me into a thankful mode. God could have made everything all one color, but He's too generous with His gifts to do that. He's painted His glory in the trees, the leaves, the flowers, the mountains, and in our cells. If we stop for a moment to listen, we'll hear "glory, glory!" coming from all of creation. If we stop. If we listen. We'll realize that there's Someone, "with Whom we have to do."

This year for Thanksgiving we invited a whole bunch of people, but for various reasons, in spite of our best efforts, we are just going to be four of us this year. In one way, it is nice, because today is our 32nd wedding anniversary, and there's something very sweet and intimate about having it be just my daughter and son-in-law and us here to celebrate together, and be thankful. I have an ache in my heart because I'm missing my son and daughter-in-law very much today, but there is still so much to be grateful for. So, I'm counting my blessings today. I'm choosing to count my blessings, and not my sorrows, and to savor in the delights of a beautiful, clear, crisp fall day here in San Francisco.

Of course, the weather could quickly turn and we could get socked in with fog, but even if it does, that will be fine with me. For now, it is glorious, and pretty and I just saw a hummingbird flitting around outside the window again. The turkey is out on the Webber Kettle in the backyard, and my daughter is making her spectacular Apple Cranberry Pie with homemade vanilla pastry cream, and I'm wondering if I can possibly manage a tiny piece of it, without totally blowing my eating plan to smithereens. It is that good--I guarantee it--and my mother would be proud of what a proficient baker she's become.

I'm realizing more and more that God, by design, puts us by sovereign grace into the families we need to be in, just so we can have the best opportunity possible to acknowledge His love and Lordship, now while we can. (One day, everyone on the planet from potentates to paupers will acknowledge Y'shua as Lord, but on that day, for some it will be in fear and anger and out of compulsion, not in reverent worship and awe) So I'm thankful as never before for the family I grew up in, for the place of pain and heartache that He scooped me out of in His grace. I would never have known that I was so desperately needy of His grace and mercy, had I been born anywhere else--I'm convinced of it. I have much to be grateful for, and I'm determined to be grateful even if sin has marred some of my joys on this side of eternity. As Paul Tripp has said, we do live in a broken down house of a world because of sin. But there is a Redeemer, who has come to make our hearts new and rescue us. He's actively seeking those who know they need rescue and mercy. I count myself grateful to be needing His rescue even more than I ever did before.

Keeping a promise

I swam today, and I'm dog tired. Perhaps it is because when I said to my beloved "I can't believe that we'll be married 32 years on Thanksgiving," he dead-panned with, "Imagine how much time that is in dog-years!" I looked at him for a moment and then totally broke up with laughter. My brain was too fried to figure it out, but one thought did cross my mind. That's one great piece of advice that my Mama gave me years ago, "Marry a man who makes you laugh!" I did, and he does and I'm constantly amused by my hubby's humor.

We can laugh together, and we can cry together. I'm grateful that we've grown so much that we rarely make each other cry, but we do cry over things that need crying and praying over, and I'm grateful that we can do it together. There's something powerful about praying together over those kind of things, and handing it over to Someone who knows the best way to deal with it. Our wedding verse was Proverbs 3:5-6 and it still is something we need to think about daily. Am I trusting in the Lord with all my heart? Am I leaning on His wisdom or my own understanding? Am I acknowledging Him in all my ways?
That's a lot to say grace over, but freeing as we work hard to apply it, and grow in His wisdom together. Even now--especially now in this season of life.

So, I'm keeping my promise by posting this blog. I'm making it short because I'm so tired, that I'm about to fall asleep on the keyboard! Our anniversary falls right on Thanksgiving this year. We got married on Thanksgiving weekend so many years ago, largely because of my beloved's work and school schedule. We had just a little weekend honeymoon, and then it was back to the grind. But instead of diminishing Thanksgiving by adding an anniversary to it, it has expanded our desire to thank the One who brought us together, and has kept us together all these years. We are still laughing. And when we cry, we hand each other the tissues, and wipe away each other's tears. I'm more grateful for that than I can tell you!

"Marry a man who makes you laugh," Mama said. I would add, "Marry a man with a heart--a heart for God, a heart for His Word, a heart for the hurting, and a heart of good humor." It's been my blessing to have had all those gifts in my beloved. Throw the confetti, folks! There is much to celebrate and I'm grateful to be married to my best friend.