Witness to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love

A few things came together for me this morning. It started last night with the funny feeling that there would be a lot to look forward to today.  Then, I got to go for a walk this morning, and was thinking about God's great faithfulness on display in every season.  "He leads me beside quiet waters" reverberated in my mind as I walked around the lake.

Then, I remembered how that it was through those words that teh Lord led us to our neighborhood, which led me to realize that today was the anniversary of the date when we first rolled into Sahuarita, Kyrstin and I, at 2 A.M.

And I realized what I was going to do with those flat-shaped white pumpkins I'd bought at the grocery store that morning for $1, and I laughed.

I'd been reading a fictionalalized account of the Israelites crossing the Jordan river, after which they erected a monument of stones collected from the dry riverbed according to God's command.  It was to be a visual reminder for generations to come of the miracle that had allowed their nation to come into the land God had promised them.  I wanted to make a monument, but why, and how?

Thus the laugh.  I decided somehow to make the flat pumpkins into a memorial.  I'm sure there are a lot of different ways to do it.  I thought of several, but only had a few minutes to execute it, so this is what I did.

In the Biblical account, the heads of each of the tribues carry a boulder, so I decided to attach an identity to each of these tokens as well.  I simply painted our names and a simple design on each.  I can use them to tell my kids a story in the future.  Here is the story I would tell about this year.

Stefan has grown and improved so much in behavior and ability.  We are thankful every day, and we are praying and seeking remedies.  Kyrstin has become more calm and loving, and has developed a love of learning.  I painted flowers on mine that kind of also look like butterflies.  For me, the best thing has been a renewed sense of God's word being living and active in me and my family, and to have some friendships beginning to bloom in this desert.  Scott has been active in the church worship ministry.  

Those are blessings all mine, and the ten thousand beside will have to wait because it is late and I need to go to bed!  I am very glad that we are entering into a season of thankfulness so that there will be time to focus on all of God's good and precious gifts.

For today, this is my anthem, this is my song.

Thanksgiving

We had our first Thanksgiving as returned Arizonans today.  It was sweet!  We got to host my parents - what better reason to push to get unpacked and settled!  I was thrilled.

My mom knew I was going to make cupcakes, so she surprised me with an early Christmas gift - a cupcake tree!  I arranged the top two tiers with the 10 turkey-topped cupcakes I made for today.  Even before I served them these little guys had brought so much fun to my life, but then when I put them on this stand my family said they looked like a choir - like a living Christmas tree pageant, if you've ever seen one of those.  They're right, of course.  Just imagine them singing, and try not to smile.

Speaking of smiles, I give you here my little boy enjoying finger foods from one of the pilgrim hat style combination plate and dipping-trays I made.  This was another super fun little project.

I liked when I took the picture below that I got so many people in the shot.  Mom and I were standing in my kitchen, just on the other side of that counter with the food on it.  That's my little girl with her Indian-style hat on that she made earlier this week.  My husband was in the kitchen most of the morning, since he made the turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce, and heated up the gravy.

Well, below is what it's all about; what we have to be thankful for.  I am thankful that my kids got to host their grandparents for Thanksgiving, that they saw them a week or so ago, and will see them in another week or so.  It's rather magical.

Side note: my daughter is wearing an outfit that my mom gave me at a baby shower for Kyrstin four years ago.  I just discovered yesterday that it would fit her, and was thrilled!  It has a bee motif.  On the bib it says, "Bee attitudes," and it is embroidered with attitudes I want to teach Kyrstin: Bee kind, Bee patient, Bee happy, and Bee thankful.  Seemed perfect for today.

We tried to get family pics for our Christmas card - it's all happening so fast! - but the kids wouldn't sit still.  We'll try again next weekend.

I've been trying to teach Kyrstin about Thanksgiving; we have a children's storybook that, I think, fairly represents the story from both the native American and European points of view.  It states as fact that there was a group of people who did not appreciate the way they were forced to worship, and so they were looking for another place to live.  Meanwhile in BSF we have been studying Abraham, and looking at Hebrews 11, which describes Abraham and others looking for the promised land.  

"[T]hey admitted they were strangers and aliens on the earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them" (13c-16).

I thought a lot about the faith and endurance of those early settlers.  I know they could have returned on the Mayflower when it sailed back after that first winter, but they didn't; they worked it out  because they believed.  Deep down they must have had the conviction of things not seen, and they stood and walked by faith.  It is a courageous legacy, one that I hope that I can grow and pass on to my family.